History Characters / HunterXHunterMainCharacters

'''Main Characters''' | [[Characters/HunterXHunterHunterAssociation Hunter Association]] | [[Characters/HunterxHunterZoldyckFamily Zoldyck Family]] | [[Characters/HunterXHunterPhantomTroupe Phantom Troupe]] | [[Characters/HunterXHunterChimeraAnts Chimera Ants]] | [[Characters/HunterXHunterKakinRoyalFamily Kakin Royal Family]] | [[Characters/HunterXHunterOtherCharacters Other Characters]]]]-]]]

* AboveGoodAndEvil: According to Zepile. It's more like he doesn't judge people, only how they can be used to improve himself somehow. He has his own sense of right and wrong, but it doesn't seem to apply to other people, at least not all the time.
* AllLovingHero: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. Gon is extremely nice and forgiving, and has a tendency to make people like and admire him. But he is more self-serving than your typical Shonen hero and he is also TheFool to an extent, mostly because of sheer brute strength and dumb luck. He also shows a tendency towards BlueAndOrangeMorality.
* AmbiguousInnocence: Gon's a rather interesting case… he's described and portrayed as this innocent and hopelessly simple boy through and through, but the absence of a sense of right and wrong has been commented on. He's also capable of some extremely cruel acts, and his actions throughout the second half of the Chimera Ant arc call into question just how "innocent" he ever really was.
* AnimalBattleAura: His aura looked like a tiger to Pitou.
* AnimalMotifs: Often compared to a dog. He's an athletic and friendly kid who's also a ScarilyCompetentTracker thanks to his sense of smell.
* AnimeHair: He has naturally spikey hair that he inherited from his father.
** [[spoiler: Taken UpToEleven as "Adult Gon"; his hair extends vertically what seems to be ''at least 20 feet'' into the air on top of his already gargantuan body.]]
* AntiHero: He's very nice and friendly, but has a BlueAndOrangeMorality and is quite an UnscrupulousHero: he often opposes evil enemies doing morally ambiguous deeds himself. Not to mention he's essentially self-serving: the reasons he fights for are personal, and of course he's primarily our charismatic adventurer, not the hero who is in it for the sake of helping people.
* AnArmAndALeg:
** He loses his left hand while fighting Genthru in a DeliberateInjuryGambit; he gets better, though.
** [[spoiler: After their death, Pitou's Terpsichora manages to sever Gon's arm.]] It's healed along with his entire body by Alluka.
* AttackAttackAttack: {{Deconstructed|Trope}}. Not so much a philosophy, but a normal approach for him. At first it's seen as beneficial in situations where endurance is the criteria for winning rather than physical strength. For example, an early one-on-one fight has the condition that the opponents fight until one consciously declares defeat. Killing is not allowed. Gon is paired against a stronger opponent, with the result being torture endurance rather than an actual duel, and he wins. However, over time this is explored more in-depth as a character flaw, since he fights recklessly in situations where it's detrimental as well. In fact, the most successful victories in the series are often the result of carefully thought out strategies, and awareness of any potential weaknesses an opponent might have.
* AuraVision: By using Gyo on the eyes.
* BadassAdorable: He's 12-years-old, but is a competent fighter and is highly regarded for his immense potential by heavyweights like Hisoka.
%%* BadassInDistress: BIG TIME. It's the focus of an entire arc.
* BattleAura: Which is usually in an reddish-orange color. [[spoiler: It becomes much stronger when he transforms himself to kill Pitou.]]
** [[spoiler:His aura was also stylized as being ''pitch black'' during some of his darker moments in the late Chimera Ant arc.]]
* BestFriend: To Killua, although Gon is far more open about it whereas Killua gets embarrassed when Gon brings it up.
* BenchedHero: After being eliminated by Razor, after losing to Knuckle and also while waiting with Pitou.
* BerserkButton:
** MoralMyopia is this for Gon, who ''hates'' it when his enemies show concern for their loved ones but not the innocent people they kill. He chews out Nobunaga for mourning Uvogin, and screams at Pitou for trying to heal Komugi.
** Unless you're Aunt Mito, don't lie to him either. Meleoron really dug into why Gon is so trusting and got this as an answer...
-->'''Gon:''' Besides, if you're lying it'll be a lot easier for me... I won't have to show you any mercy... I could just kill ya y'know?
* BerserkerTears: Par for the course with a badass who runs on emotion.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Gon is one of the nicest guys in the series but you don’t want to piss him off.
* BlindedByRage: While he's usually capable of keeping his wits about him even when faced with heinous villains like the Phantom Troupe and Genthru, his ''seething hatred'' towards Neferpitou occasionally causes him to act against his better judgment. During their first encounter, when Pitou [[spoiler: chops Kite's arm off]], Gon goes into a ballistic rage that would've likely gotten himself killed had Killua not knocked him out unconscious (notably, Pitou is said to exude an incredibly malicious aura that even [[BreakTheHaughty horrified Killua just being in its presence]], yet Gon's rage was so intense that it basically [[FearlessFool neutralized his fear]]). Later, when Pitou is [[spoiler: healing Komugi, Gon almost goes mad with rage and was moments away from attacking both Pitou and Komugi, but he was stopped by -- once again -- Killua.]]
* BloodKnight: He likes fighting and is thrilled when he is in dangerous situations.
* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Because Gon's behaviour maps fairly easily onto typical morality spectrum for much of the time it initially seems like this trope doesn't make any sense, but when he ''doesn't'' use the rulebook, it becomes glaringly obvious he's never actually been using standard reference points in the way you'd expect and, in fact, has his own. Which he will, upon occasion, revise as he comes into contact with new ideas. Good luck following his logic chain all the way through, because you will be missing information as to how he came up with his ideas. Much of his morality seems to be based on how something can benefit himself or his loved ones rather than conventional moral codes of good and evil.
* BodyHorror: [[spoiler: After his fight with Pitou. He forced himself to mature his body to the physiology of an adult, but suffers horrendous bodily harm when these effects wear off, not to mention the fact that he had an arm chopped off and didn't let that stop him from wailing on Pitou until the Chimera Ant was a pile of paste.]]
* BodyMotifs: Hands and arms. He had his arm broken in his fight with Hanzo. His Jajanken ability has him focus nen into his fist. He deliberately sacrifices his left hand in his fight with Genthru. [[spoiler:After his transformation, he loses his right arm to Pitou]].
* BoringButPractical: His ability is one of the simplest of the manga but he can use a short-ranged, middle-ranged and long-ranged attack which are all very powerful. With those three techniques he has near infinite possibilities. It even becomes more useful when his opponent knows his ability. And when all of that doesn't work for Gon...it's not a pun on [[DeadlyUpgrade Evil Fist]] for nothing.
* BreakTheCutie: Happens several times throughout the series.
** He chides himself for his weakness, being unable to defeat Knuckle to go to NGL and save Kite.
** [[spoiler: He becomes broken after learning about Kite's death from Pitou and that he cannot be healed. He just blankly stares, unable to register the information, and feels immense guilt for his death.]]
* BrokenTears: His first time is when he breaks down after the Fourth Phase of the Hunter Exam while talking to Kurapika about how he's frustrated about how he's powerless against Hisoka. After that, it's his official defeat against Knuckle and when Pitou reveals Kite's death.
* BroughtDownToNormal: It has happened twice.
** After his defeat against Knuckle, he can't use Nen for a while due to Knuckle's APR ability.
** [[spoiler: As stated by Ging in Chapter 345, the reason why Gon couldn't see his aura was because of the condition he put upon himself when he transformed, and as a result, it has turned him back to "normal". Ging also says he should count himself as lucky as things could have been worse, and that asking for more is basically asking for trouble.]]
* TheBusCameBack: [[spoiler: Gon awakes from his coma after Killua has Nanika heal his injuries close to the end of the Election Arc.]]
* CallingParentsByTheirName:
** Gon calls Mito by her first name regardless of his relationship to her; he also has a penchant of calling her "Auntie Mito", which she dislikes (as she is actually his cousin once removed). For all intents and purposes, Mito is Gon's mother nevertheless.
** After finally meeting him face to face, Gon takes to calling his father by his name, Ging. While he has a great deal of respect for Ging, he simply doesn't see him as a father-figure. To be fair, Ging doesn't see himself as such either.
* CallingYourAttacks: Lampshaded:
-->'''Killua:''' Do you have to yell those words every time?\\
'''Gon:''' Huh? Sure. Otherwise it's not like a special attack.\\
'''Killua:''' Maybe... but you're telegraphing the enemy. What if you get attacked while you're yelling?\\
'''Gon:''' I'll dodge and say it.\\
'''Killua:''' What if you can't?!\\
'''Gon:''' I'll still say it.
** And yet, because of the way Nen works, having the restriction of calling his attacks before using them actually strengthens them.
* CantKillYouStillNeedYou: Does this to [[spoiler: Pitou]] during the Chimera Ant Arc, and threatens [[spoiler: him/her]] with [[spoiler: killing Komugi]].
* CharacterDevelopment: Gon becomes much more hostile as the manga continues and his frustration with himself and others mounts, and this bubble of negative emotion bursts during the Chimera Ant arc.
* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: Even before receiving Nen training, Gon was freakishly strong.
* ChasteHero: Subverted. Gon is actually very knowledgeable about women and their feelings, having dated many "cougars": older women who are into younger men who came to his home island, before he left to take the Hunter Exam. Killua is actually horrified to learn how much more experience Gon has with women than he does.
* CheerfulChild: To levels that can outright scare others as it comes across as distinctly unnatural or ill-timed to them.
* ChildProdigy: Gon has been noted by numerous master Hunters to have great potential in Nen.
* ColorMotifs: Green, given his trademark clothes and to symbolize his love of nature. Plus, [[MulticoloredHair part]] of his hair is green on the top.
* ConfusionFu: His Jajanken. He has only 3 attacks but it's difficult to guess which one he will use. He can also feint and use another one, the options are limitless.
* CooldownHug: Cruelly subverted during his encounter with [[spoiler:Zombie Kite.]] It only made him more dangerous.
* CountryMouse: In contrast to Killua's CityMouse. Having been raised on Whale Island, he doesn't know much about the rest of the world.
* CurbStompBattle: To [[spoiler: Neferpitou. See NoHoldsBarredBeatdown below.]]
* DeadlyUpgrade: [[spoiler: The Restriction he places on himself to age into an adult and defeat Pitou reduces him to an emaciated vegetable after his excess amount of Nen causes an explosion with him at the epicenter.]]
* DeathGlare: He starts giving some nasty looking ones during the Chimera Ant Arc, most notably to Morel and Pitou.
* DeclarationOfProtection: [[spoiler: He promises to protect Kite during Chapter 337 because he failed to do so before, which led to Kite's death.]]
* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype:
** Of the typical shonen hero. Oh, the hero is very caring, loves his friends, and will not give up on saving them? That's very nice; but, what happens should he go too far in pursuing that goal? Just how far is too far? Is the hero's ridiculous amount of determination ''actually'' a positive thing... at all? And what psychological damage comes from the hero putting that much of himself into saving someone? The answers lie in the Chimera Ant arc.
** The Chimera Ant arc also twists a lot of Gon's other strengths into flaws. His ability to judge people only in the moment, something which gives him great understanding of those around him, causes him extreme confusion when his original assessment of Pitou as a selfish murderer clashes with their newest actions [[spoiler: as a protective guardian begging for mercy]]. Gon's selfish determination is painted as ''highly'' self-destructive; and, by the end of the arc, his goals [[spoiler: almost kill him -- heck, they ''would'' have killed him if not for the [[RealityWarper divine intervention]] provided by Alluka/Nanika]]. Gon's selfishness isn't really a problem for the first few arcs as his personal interests align with those around him, but during the palace invasion he holds a young girl ''hostage'', and is clearly uncaring of whether or not she lives or dies from her injuries -- ''Killua'' is the one to make the deal for Gon to hold off until the girl is healed, and even then Gon is ruthless. It's saying something that it's very easy to say that Gon actually takes on an antagonistic role in this arc due to his actions.
* DeliberateInjuryGambit: Against Genthru. He lets up him blow up his arms so he can get a solid kick on him. He then lets him crush his windpipe so he can soak him in gasoline to stop him from using Little Flower.
* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: [[spoiler: Ging asked him to find one, now that he is unable to use Nen again.]]
* {{Determinator}}: Oh, boy, is he ever.
** In his first official fight in the Hunter Exam, it's a CurbStompBattle with Gon being trashed around like a body dummy. He's told to give up several times as killing is strictly forbidden if you want to pass and even if he loses this match, he still has a chance to pass… three hours of being beat senseless did nothing. And almost being impaled by a blade and having his arm broken only seemed to strengthen his resolve.
** Also of note is the fight against Genthru, which he wins in spite of having his hand blown off.
* DeterminedExpression: A lot of times.
* DeterminedDefeatist: Gon will '''never''' give up even if he knows he has no chance, he is even thrilled. In the Heavens Arena arc, for example, he fought against Gido despite knowing he couldn't win.
* DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu: To Illumi, Genthru, the Phantom Troupe and Pitou. He doesn't care if you are stronger than him to begin with. Annoy him and he'll do this.
* DissonantSerenity: [[spoiler: During his fight with Pitou. He smiled even after his arm got sliced.]]
* DullEyesOfUnhappiness: Practically his default facial expression after a certain point in the Chimera Ant arc, alongside DeathGlare.
* EnhancedPunch: One of Gon's special nen techniques turns his already powerful punch into an Enhanced Punch by gathering all of his nen in his fist.
* EverybodyHatesMathematics: He's terrible at it. To the point where thinking "dyscalculia" wouldn't be too far-fetched.
* FailedASpotCheck: Gets hit with this in the badge hunt portion of the exam, he was so focused on trying to take Hisoka's badge he forgot the point of the portion was that ''you'' were being hunted also. By the time he manage to succeed in getting the badge, the one hunting him manages to take him down with a numbing dart. It's only due to Hisoka that he doesn't fail the test and even then, it cost him three days of hunting within the seven day limit for the numbing agent to wear off.
* FailureHero: He borders on this over the course of the series. When he's doing tasks that don't involve fighting, he excels at it. However, when he ''does'' get involved in a fight, he constantly loses and gets the royal crap pummeled out of him.
* FatalFlaw: His central flaws lie in his temper and impulsive nature. Gon sometimes fails to think things through and such actions lead to him suffering. Though possessing talent far beyond the norm for his age, any time his abilities are challenged, he feels as if he has to prove his antagonist wrong. He continually strives to obtain greater power, often becoming exceptionally stronger in his anger. But Gon's anger also leads to extremely reckless tendencies. When his emotions are ignited, Gon becomes irrational and completely oblivious to anything else. While his will is stronger than most and he can be very level-headed, this clear mind can also make him very cold at times. Even more worrying is the extent to which his simple-mindedness colors his perception of those around him. Often it's difficult for others to understand or relate Gon's actions or thoughts to what people would consider "normal" thinking. On more than one occasion the people around Gon have remarked on how he "doesn't care about the good or the bad" with some believing Gon to be a little insane.
* FearlessFool: He can be afraid but he will never back down, dangerous situations thrill him. This is lampshaded several times in the story. The first time after his first fight with Hisoka.
* FirstFriend: To Killua. Gon isn't afraid of Killua after learning he's a child assassin, and they became inseperable [[spoiler:until they are forced to part ways after Killua saved Gon from his death by rescuing Alluka/Nanika and using her wish-granting abilities]].
* FiveStagesOfGrief: PlayedWith after [[spoiler:Kite's]] death. Right before this event, he immediately starts getting angry (stage 2), but then Killua [[GetAHoldOfYourselfMan makes Gon unconscious]]. When he wakes up he says that [[spoiler:Kite]] [[TemptingFate is alive]] which is his Denial (Stage 1). When Gon sees his unstable body he still is in Denial. Then when he confronts Pitou, he then gets Anger at [[AmbiguousGender her/him]] for killing [[spoiler:Kite]]. Gon Bargains (Stage 3) Pitou to bringing [[spoiler:Kite]] back, but then Pitou says he can't bring his friend back. Then it gets complicated. Gon experiences the first four stages ''in a couple seconds'', most notably Depression (Stage 4). Then he gets '''furious''' at Pitou, so much so that [[spoiler:he sacrificed part of his life just to kill Pitou '''multiple times''']]. He then [[spoiler:gets put into a nen-state coma]], which is most likely Stage 3 as he is at his weakest while waiting to come out of [[spoiler:the coma]]. [[spoiler:However, in a rare case of this trope, where he was at during that particular time ''does'' get him what he needs]]. After that, once Gon confronts [[spoiler:Ging]], he breaks down crying and lists everything he regretted doing since [[spoiler:Kite]] died [[spoiler:and then reincarnated]], which is definitely Stage 4. After [[spoiler:Ging says he should talk to Kite about his regrets]], Gon finally goes through acceptance (Stage 5) as he is fine with [[spoiler:Kite turning into a Chimera Ant]].
* ForcedLevelGrinding: The main reason Ging created Greed Island was to make Gon stronger. To be able to clear the game, he trains to improve his nen under Biscuit.
* ForcedToWatch: During his first fight with the Chimera Ants. Kite told him to watch the horrible murder when he averted his eyes (because the enemy could use the opportunity to shoot a projectile).
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: The Sanguine. An eternal optimist, friendly, and cheerful, but also very impulsive.
* FreeRangeChildren: Justified since he is a Hunter and Mito gave him her blessing to become one.
* FriendshipMoment: Most of the time with Killua.
* FriendToAllLivingThings: Thanks to his nature upbringing, to the point he managed to tame a Foxbear, who are known to be very aggressive.
* GenerationXerox: Of Ging, or at least it's heading this way. Like his father, he has a talent in Nen, and catches the Master of the Swamp and becomes a Hunter at the age of 11.
* TheGift: Gifted as having a potential for nen found in only one in ''ten million''. [[spoiler:He throws away his potential to age into an adult by placing a Restriction on himself to kill Pitou.]]
** [[spoiler: Said transformation puts it into perspective just ''how'' amazingly gifted Gon is; if he had reached that form naturally by simply training until adulthood, he would've apparently been strong enough to potentially rival ''Meruem'', and that's without considering that his transformed state still had the young Gon's relatively limited battle experience and simplistic Nen abilities, which means that a true "adult Gon" would've been even ''stronger''.]]
* GoMadFromTheRevelation: [[spoiler: When Pitou revealed that Kite couldn't be saved. He used his DeadlyUpgrade.]]
* GoodIsNotDumb: It really, really isn't: you can try to trick him, and you might even manage it. Once. Good luck trying it the same way (or near the same way) again, though... dare you.
* GoodIsNotSoft: If he decides to end someone, they are ended. No quarter asked or given; no second chances offered.
* GrinOfAudacity: Fond of these.
* GroundPunch: Used Rock on the ground to trap Genthru.
* HandicappedBadass:
** Managed to break Illumi's arm while having a broken arm himself. And he didn't even know about Nen.
** Defeated Genthru even though his left hand was blown off.
** [[spoiler:His adult transformation's arm was torn off by Pitou's still-alive corpse but that barley fazes him. He kills her anyway]].
* HappilyAdopted: He doesn't even care about the identity of his birth mother, because to him no one but Mito will ever be his mother.
* HardWorkHardlyWorks: Subverted. While he does have natural talent, he works very hard to refine his abilities.
* HeroesFightBareHanded: He was using a fishing pole earlier in the series. Now, he is the only main character who fights without a weapon.
* HeroicBSOD:
** Gon experienced this when he realized that [[spoiler:Kite was truly dead because Pitou could not revive him. He essentially went through a complete mental breakdown, with two voices in his head alternatively [[ItsAllMyFault blaming himself for Kite's death]] or [[{{Revenge}} blaming Pitou.]] Unfortunately for Pitou, he eventually settles for the latter.]]
** On the same subject, he experienced a lesser one earlier when confronting Pitou finally for {{Revenge}} and having steeled himself for the opportunity, only to witness [[spoiler: Pitou healing Komugi.]] This drives him to unsteady BerserkerTears, only barely restraining himself by a hair's breadth as the situation [[BlueAndOrangeMorality completely violated all of his logic and preparations]] [[spoiler: about how it's "not fair" that Pitou can murder someone he knows and just heal someone else like they ''aren't'' the monster he wants to kill so badly.]]
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Killua.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Can be seen as turning into this but only during the Chimera Ant arc after he's found Pitou, afterwards he's much closer to normal.
* HighPressureEmotion: Well, more like "high-pressure cogitation". Multiple-stage, complex, abstract concepts which involve a lot of explanation, memorisation, and/or prolonged concentration are likely to produce fizzing and clouds of steam for poor Gon as he struggles with them. Or ''anything'' to do with numbers, however simple.
* HomeschooledKids: It's revealed in the Dark Continent Arc that Gon is home-schooled.
* HonorBeforeReason: Yeah... just a lot. Reason is not generally on good terms with Gon: he's emotion-based. Leads to multiple instances of getting himself into deep water. Killua is usually the one who has to try getting him to apply caution to the problem.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Gon berates Chrollo and the Phantom Troupe for killing innocent people that have nothing to do with them but, during the Chimera Ant Arc, [[spoiler: he tries to attack Pitou even though interrupting Doctor Blythe will kill Komugi, someone he hadn't even met beforehand, to get Neferpitou to focus on his demands. Then, after she's healed, threatens to kill her.]] Gon was a mess, which is clearly shown throughout the entire process, but that's no excuse for his shocking behaviour.
* IGaveMyWord: He told Palm he would eat a thousand needles in case he lost against Knuckle and he was ready to do it. And considering his promise with Pitou, it must be SeriousBusiness to him.
* IHaveYourWife: [[spoiler: Komugi becomes his hostage when he learns that Pitou wants to heal her.]]
* IdiotHero: Deconstructed. The only reason he probably hasn't died yet is because he comes up with creative ways to stay alive during a fight. He forgets things often, is easily fooled, rushes into things without considering the consequences, often even disregarding the consequences just to get what he wants.
* ImageSong: "[=GuuGuuGuu!!=]".
* ImprobableWeaponUser: Used a fishing pole before he started relying on his Nen. It makes a brief reappearance in The Last Mission.
* ImprovisedWeapon: Gon fights with shoes, flagstones, trees...
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: More of a deconstruction than anything, as Gon is naive and impulsive rather than particularly morally upstanding. His "pureness" includes [[BlueAndOrangeMorality a lack of conventional morality or sense of right and wrong]], [[PureIsNotGood which makes him dangerous or outright deranged in morally complex situations]].
* InnateNightVision: Can see very well at night.
* InstantExpert: Learns pretty quickly. He and Killua mastered the Nen basics rapidly. It's also UpToEleven because even Killua noted he grows rapidly during a fight.
* ItsAllAboutMe: It becomes more and more noticeable as the story goes on. But it's when he gets angry that it's most apparent. Gon is willing to jeopardize himself, his friends, and/or their goal to satisfy his own ego.
* ItsPersonal: Gon didn't care about any Ant but [[ItsPersonalWithTheDragon Pitou]] when he discovered [[spoiler: Kite's mutilated body.]]
** To a greater extent, no villain ever earned Gon's wrath on a personal level as much as Pitou. He hated the Phantom Troupe, but he was mostly fighting against them to help Kurapika (and for the bounty on their heads), and Genthru had to be beaten in order to clear Greed Island (and Gon even healed his friends when all was said and done). In this case, Gon felt a personal duty to bash Pitou's skull in with his bare hands. [[spoiler: He did. [[BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu At a price, though.]]]]
* IWillFindYou: The story started because he wanted to find Ging.
* JumpedAtTheCall: The call didn't even manage to get the sentence out before he pounced on it.
* JustAKid: Gets it a lot.
* {{Keet}}: Compared to Killua's {{Tsundere}} personality, Gon is always friendly, excitable, inquisitive, outgoing, and ready to go on adventures.[[spoiler: This why it's so jarring to see his personality do a 180 during the Chimera Ant Arc. When he finds out Kite dies, it's incredibly disturbing and sad to watch, although it's understandable due to his BlueAndOrangeMorality.]]
* KickTheMoralityPet: At the height of an emotional breakdown during [[spoiler: his 2nd encounter with Pitou]], Gon very harshly criticizes Killua's behavior, despite Killua's entire character arc in the saga revolving around him desperately trying to be a better friend to Gon and sticking by him through thick and thin. Killua is very emotionally hurt, but Gon eventually apologizes and the two make up.
---> '''Gon''': You have it so easy, Killua. You can remain calm... since this means nothing to you.
* KidANova: Yes. He dated older women who taught him all sorts of things. Palm also fell for him.
* KidHero: He was 11 at the start of the story, he is 13 now.
* TheKirk: Prior to Killua's appearance he was TheKirk to Kurapika's [[TheSpock Spock]] and Leorio's [[TheMcCoy [=McCoy=]]].
* LeeroyJenkins: Tends to disregard whatever plan his team has made, either for a personal vendetta or the sake of proving himself in a fight. This usually results in him suffering a lot more than he has to.
* LettingHerHairDown: Gon is a cute and rather attractive young teen, bearing strong resemblance to his dad, Ging, and during the few moments where his gravity-defying spikes are down, usually because of water (i.e. from rain or a bath), Gon is even cuter.
* LimitedWardrobe: His only change of outfit consists of not wearing his trademark green coat.
* MagneticHero: His [[NiceGuy kind personality]] and fearlessness endears him to a lot of people. Almost every friend and ally he's made so far visits him [[spoiler: on what could have very well been his deathbed]] during the Chairman Election arc. Deconstructed in that it actually causes some ''antagonists'' to take a shine to him as well.
* MementoMacGuffin: Gon's fishing rod originally belonged to his father; he said it was the only thing he had of his father's when the series began. He relied heavily on it during the Hunter Exam Arc, using it to get through the first four exams and then ultimately choosing not to use it in his fight against Hanzo, saying he needed to fight with his own strength rather than borrowing his dad's. Gon then uses it a few times in the Zoldyck Family Arc and once in the Heaven's Arena Arc and then is never seen using it again in battle after learning Nen, marking his development into a fighter and his maturity. It makes a reappearance in the second movie, however, but it is a replica rather than his actual one. Later, after unlocking a box that was left for him by his father, Gon takes his dad's Greed Island ring and wears it as his ring when he played the game himself.
* MissingMom: Gon was originally told that his mother had died in traffic accident, until it was vaguely revealed that she and Gon's father only separated. However unlike with his father, Gon is not interested knowing more about her, because as far as he's concerned, Aunt Mito is his mother now.
* MoralityPet: Gon serves as this for [[AntiHero Killua]] throughout the series, as while Killua tries his best to suppress his killer instincts, Gon's presence is what really helps him stop; it was much more apparent in the beginning, not so much now that Killua's learned to control himself, but the purpose is still there.
* MulticoloredHair: Most of his hair is black but the very top is green.
* MusclesAreMeaningless: At first played straight, but later subverted. Gon's arms are initially no more than sticks, but in the later part of the Ant Arc, the boy's arms are ''jacked''. [[http://static4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130519193332/hunterxhunter/images/d/dc/Gon_Shu.png Just]] [[http://www.toonbarn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/1w.png look]].
* MyGreatestFailure: To not have been able to protect Kite.
* MyNameIsInigoMontoya: My name is Gon Freecss!!! In order to bring back Kite, I've come to you!!!!
* {{Nephewism}}: He was raised by his aunt.
* NervesOfSteel: Varies. He acts like this when he is extremely focused.
* NiceGuy: Deconstructed, his friendly and kind demeanor can actually serve as a ''hindrance'', particularly when dealing with more morally complex characters or dealing with villains that would hurt the friends a hero wants to protect.
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: [[spoiler:Delivers what is quite possibly the most grisly, brutal beatdown in the entire series to Neferpitou. He sent the Chimera Ant flying into the air with a single kick to the gut, ''pulverized'' their face beyond recognition with a Jajanken on their way down, then kept bashing their skull in ''over and over'' (well after they were [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill already dead]]) with hammer-like Jajankens until there was nothing left above Pitou's shoulders. When Pitou's ability activated after their death and they jumped to attack him, Gon punched their decapitated neck mid-jump then used his ''own severed arm to impale Pitou into the ground'', crushing their legs under his feet for good measure, then fired one last Jajanken at the Chimera Ant's mutilated, writhing corpse through his own arm stump.]] ''[[FamilyUnfriendlyViolence Yeesh.]]''
* TheNoseKnows: His uncanny sense of smell has been displayed since the very beginning.
* OneSidedArmWrestling: PlayedWith. He does this to make money and could have beaten the contestants easily but held back. Shizuku is the strongest person he arm-wrestles and forced him to use Nen to win. The only reason he wins is because she uses her right hand, and she's left-handed.
* PinkySwear: How he makes promises with Mito, with the addition of a thumb kiss. [[IDidntMeanToTurnYouOn Was very effective on Palm]].
* PintSizedPowerhouse: [[spoiler: At least before he releases his SuperMode.]]
* PhraseCatcher: "He's dangerous", referring not to his combat abilities, but to his AmbiguousInnocence.
* PlotRelevantAgeUp: [[spoiler: Gon forcefully causes his body to age up to defeat Neferpitou, greatly increasing his nen, very nearly causing him to never be able to use nen again, and leaving his body a shattered and bloody mess afterwards.]]
* ThePollyanna: Until he finds out about [[spoiler:Kite's death.]]
* PoseOfSupplication: [[spoiler: Bows to Killua at the end of the Election arc.]]
* PowerMakesYourHairGrow: [[spoiler:When Gon transforms into "Gon-san" his hair grows significantly, to near floor length in his normal size and several metres as "Gon-san".]]
* PowerAtAPrice: Generally, this is how nen works for everyone with one teacher comparing it to mahjong. The more conditions you meat the greater the reward. But there can be backlash as to meet the greatest conditions (like say, making yourself a PhysicalGod) you also have to ante up something big. For Gon [[spoiler:that's his adult Gon transformation which sacrifices eveything, [[CastFromLifespan his years remaining]], [[CastFromHitPoints his health]], and his [[BroughtDownToNormal nen potential/ability]]. Even after Nanika reverses the physical burden (He's physically back to normal), he still can't use nen even though his aura is back to normal.]]
** Related to the above is Gon's current situation [[spoiler:of being BroughtDownToNormal. While it seems that Gon's abilities are reset and it's currently unclear if he can reactivate his nen on his own or if the condition of never using nen again stands (Nanika revesed the harm to Gon and Ging said Gon's aura looked fine in spite of Gone not seeing it) the latter seems more likely. If that's true than in order to regain his ability to use aura, Gon might have to [[TraumaticSuperPowerAwakening something serious]] to regain his nen abilities as Ging stated that asking for more than he's got (his health and youth restored) "is just begging for trouble". Ging implies that getting Gon's nen abilities back might be possible but it will probably take something drastic and dangerous.]]
* PummelDuel: Against Knuckle.
* PummelingTheCorpse: Does this to [[spoiler:Pitou]] after their fight.
* PutOnABus:
** [[spoiler: While present at certain instances and moments, Gon spends the entirety of the 13th Hunter Chairman Election Arc in a coma, with no speaking lines until he awoke, and the arc heavily focuses on Killua trying to bring Alluka to Gon to heal him, as well as the election itself.]]
** [[spoiler: It seems he's been put on another bus in the Dark Continent Arc for right now, as he's returned home to Whale Island, explained how he didn't want to travel with Ging and will take the opportunity of his return to normalcy to figure out what he wants to do in life, but he first needs to catch up on all of the schoolwork he's missed from his three year long adventure as a Hunter.]]
%%* RapidFireFisticuffs
* RedOniBlueOni: The impulsive, reckless Red Oni to Killua's calm, calculating Blue Oni, and Gon refuses it to be reversed.
--> "I'm allowed to talk about dying, but you're not!"
* ReplacementGoldfish: {{Invoked|Trope}}. After Gon beats Nobunaga at arm wrestling and he realizes that Gon is an enhancer, Nobunaga refuses the let him leave and tries to force Gon to join the Phantom Troupe in Uvo's place.
* RevengeBeforeReason: Gon's main motivations throughout the Chimera Ant arc are to [[spoiler: extract his revenge on Pitou and take Kite back from them]], with that second goal just barely keeping him sane and at least somewhat patient to comply with Pitou's requests. [[spoiler: Once it's revealed that Kite is already dead, however, Gon stops caring about anything besides killing Pitou; not just "anything" as in "any other motivation within the arc", but '''[[ExactWords anything]]''' in his life, period. He was ready to permanently give up on his ability to use Nen and possibly discard his life just to murder Pitou, even as Killua was tearfully begging him to stop using his DangerousForbiddenTechnique while there's still a chance to go back.]]
---> '''Gon''': [[spoiler: I don't care if this is where it all ends. So I'll use ''[[DeadlyUpgrade everything]]''... and '''kill you''', '''[[SayMyName PITOUUUUUUU!!!]]''']]
* RightUnderTheirNoses: In "The Last Mission" he and Killua manage to hide from Jed's soldiers as they march by their area by hiding in a "your face here" cutout.
* RockPaperScissors: His Nen attacks are named after Rock-Paper-Scissors, which he happens to be bizarrely good at playing. His signature move is "Rock", a extremely powerful MegatonPunch. "Scissor" is a LaserBlade and "Paper" is an EnergyBall.
* SayMyName: '''[[spoiler: "I'll kill you... PITOUUUUUUU!!"]]'''
* ScarsAreForever: Gon is shown to have a small, faint scar on his left shoulder where [[spoiler: Pitou severed his arm and after being healed by Nanika; this scar holds a lot of significance to his relationship to Kite, as when he lost his arm, Gon said he now understood how Kite felt when he lost his arm and it symbolizes how both of them got a second chance, as Gon survived his encounter and was healed and Kite was reincarnated.]]
* ScarilyCompetentTracker: He is compared to a dog for a reason.
* SecondLove: Palm's, with her first being her teacher Knov. He placates her by agreeing to go on a date.
* SignatureMove: Rock. Being an Enhancer, he is most suited to using it compared it compared to Paper and Scissors, which are emission and transmutation type abilities respectively.
* SkilledButNaive: Lampshaded during his encounter with Meleoron but it turns out he is not that naive.
* SmarterThanYouLook: Can come up with very good plans when needed.
%%* SpiritedCompetitor
* StaringDownCthulhu: To Pitou and Pouf.
* StockShonenHero: Gon is a compassionate KidHero with very spikey hair. Unlike other shonen heroes, he has become something of an AntiHero over the course of the series and his bright-eyed personality has been [[AmbiguousInnocence called into question]]. He's more of a deconstruction than anything.
* StoryBreakerPower: [[spoiler: As "Adult Gon", he is apparently powerful enough to potentially pose a threat to ''Meruem'' and is more than powerful enough to utterly slaughter the ridiculously powerful Neferpitou. Balancing this out is the fact that it was a limited one-time transformation with heavy consequences; while Gon managed to recover his mangled body back to normal, he [[BroughtDownToNormal lost his ability]] to use Nen (or at least regain use of it on his own) and as of the current point in the manga [[PutOnABus is effectively written out of the story.]]]]
* StrongFamilyResemblance: With Ging; Just compare [[http://statici.behindthevoiceactors.com/behindthevoiceactors/_img/chars/char_68419.jpg Gon]] and [[http://static2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130627174748/hunterxhunter/images/4/49/Ging_2011-7.jpg Ging]] when he was younger. The two even caught the Lord of the Swamp and became Hunters at ''the exact same age.''
* SuperSenses: All his senses are sharp.
* TechnicalPacifist: Gon prefers to not kill people. He even spared some Chimera Ants. But if he really is pissed…
* TechnicianVersusPerformer: The performer to Killua's technician.
* TeensAreShort: Gon stands at 154cm or 5'0.5"; as a 12-year-old he was considered tall, as a 14-year-old, he's below average, and [[OffModel Off Modeling]] makes him look even shorter. Justified as Nen is said to slow down the effects of aging.
* TellMeAboutMyFather: One of the reasons why he left his island.
* TranquilFury: If he isn't pissed when you mess with his friends, then he's exhibiting this. Good cases are when Gido and Riehlvelt tricked him and Killua in Heaven's Arena with the threat on Zushi's life, and ''[[NightmareFuel especially]]'' while waiting for [[spoiler: Komugi to get healed. And let's not forget about [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown what he did]] to Pitou.]]
%%* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior
* TheUnfettered: He has his own sense of right and wrong.
* VSign: After winning some fights at the Heavens Arena.
* WhatTheHellHero: On the receiving end of one when Killua found out he did the stupidest thing anybody can do in the world of Hunters, ''period.'' He actually pawned his Hunter's License, as in the one thing a Hunter is given to signify they are legit, gives them special privileges and monetary workarounds... that can '''never EVER be replaced.''' Thankfully, he's able to buy it back before someone else does.
* WildChild: Grew up with nature.
* WrongGenreSavvy: He's impulsive and often eager to fight, which would make him fit right in as the protagonist of a more typical Shonen series, where courage and determination are enough to get through any obstacle, but in a manga like this [[GenreDeconstruction it's not that simple]]. The very same qualities mentioned above make him something of a SpannerInTheWorks, putting his teammates and whatever strategy they've devised at risk (something Tsezguerra chides him for), and he sometimes bites off more than he can chew. There's also his black and white sense of morality, which doesn't always apply in a world with complicated situations and people, and can make him come off as naive, even dangerously so at times.
* YouCanBarelyStand: And yet you don’t give up. Best seen when Hanzo trashed him in the Hunter Exam matchups and even broke an arm, but Gon outright refused to call it quits.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: In some official artwork [[HairColorDissonance his hair is fully colored green]]. But his usual look is his black hair tipped with green.
* YouMonster: Called that by Wing, Razor and Meleoron; rather than in the sense that he is evil, it's more in the sense that he's monstrously strong in aura and has unlimited potential.
* YoureInsane: InvertedTrope. He is called this by a villain! And by many other characters. Not surprising, though, considering what he does in some fights.

* ItsPersonal: Gon didn't care about any Ant but Pitou when he discovered [[spoiler: Kite's mutilated body.]]

* YoungerThanTheyLook: Shocks everyone early in the series when he tells them he's also a teenager like them... more than once even.

* TheSociopath: He's a hedonist with no conscience and impulse control issues.

* AntiHero: [[ShootTheDog Shooting Dogs]]? Well, hey: it's easy enough if you've been killing since before you could reach the middle shelves of the kitchen. Downplayed as the series goes on and he arguably becomes ''less'' of an AntiHero than the rest of the main cast (barring [[TheHeart Leorio]]).

%%* MrFanservice

* PracticallyJoker: He shares the Joker's MonsterClown gimmick, obsession with the hero that borders on FoeYay, and [[JokerImmunity capability to cheat death]]. There's also how he has a {{Playing Card Motif|s}}, with his being the joker card.

* InTheBlood: Subverted. While he was set-up to be the heir of his family of assassins, he ended becoming the WhiteSheep by running away from home, and by the end of the 2011 anime, he ended becoming a very loyal and selfless individual.

* AntiHero: He's very nice and friendly, but has a BlueAndOrangeMorality and is quite an UnscrupulousHero: he often opposes evil enemies doing morally ambiguous deeds himself. Not to mention he's essentially self-serving: the reasons he fights for are personal.

** He loses his left hand while fighting Genthru in a DeliberateInjuryGambit, he gets better.

* TokenGoodTeammate: {{Downplayed}}. Unlike the likes of [[BlueAndOrangeMorality Gon]], [[ChildrenForcedToKill Killua]], and [[HeWhoFightsMonsters Kurapika]], Leorio presents zero anti-heroic qualities.

* HotBlooded:

** MoleInCharge: He becomes the family's lead bodyguard when his predecessor is killed by the Phantom Troupe. [[spoiler: After Light Nostrade's mental breakdown following the events in Yorknew City, Kurapika takes control of the entire Nostrade Family.]]

* {{Expy}}: WordOfGod says that he and his clan are essentially the Ohmu from ''Manga/NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind'' in human form. Both groups' eyes turn red when enraged, and certain parts of their body (their eyes and exoskeletons, respectively) are highly valuable and sought-after.

** Of the typical shonen hero. Oh, the hero is very caring, loves his friends, and will not give up on saving them? That's very nice; but, what happens should he goes too far in pursuing that goal? Just how far is too far? Is the hero's ridiculous amount of determination ''actually'' a positive thing... at all? And what psychological damage comes from the hero putting that much of himself into saving someone? The answers lie in the Chimera Ant arc.

%%* FourTemperamentEnsemble: The Sanguine.

* CharacterDevelopment: Oh boy... Goes from '''''ripping out someone's heart''''' in a [[{{CurbStompBattle}} quick match]] during the Hunter Exam, to breaking down and crying during a fight with [[spoiler: Chimera Ant Palm]] during the Chimera Ant arc.

%%* FourTemperamentEnsemble: The Phlegmatic.

%%* FourTemperamentEnsemble: The Melancholic.

%%* FourTemperamentEnsemble: The Choleric.

%%%* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: His philosophy.

* TricksterArchetype: To the core and wearing it on his sleeve. Heck, he's picked [[PlayingCardMotifs the Joker]] as a theme. And, seems to be channelling [[TarotMotifs the Magician as much as (if not more than) the Fool]].

* AllLovingHero: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. Gon is extremely nice and forgiving, and has a tendency to make people like and admire him. But he is more self serving than your typical Shonen hero and he is also TheFool to an extent, mostly because of sheer brute strength and dumb luck. There's also his position on BlueAndOrangeMorality.

* LennonSpecs: In all their finery.

* {{Deconstruction}}:

* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: In the manga and 2011 anime, Kurapika is hell-bent on avenging his clan, and isn't above killing the Phantom Troupe in cold blood to achieve his mission. The 1999 anime adds some moments where he hesitates going through with killing the Troupe members, and he even suffers a nervous breakdown after killing [[spoiler:Uvogin]].

* DangerousForbiddenTechnique: Chain Jail. See 'Conditional Powers'. So much so that Wing warned Gon not to follow Kurapika's example by designing such a lethal ''Hatsu''.

* PlayingCardMotifs: And, how. Not content with being strongly associated with the Joker card while looking like he walked off that card himself, wearing the symbols on his clothes or using a pack of cards as very deadly weapons, but he also manages to ''enunciate'' the suit symbols in his bubbles, too. And, we're not just talking "♥~~~", here. Any surprise he likes to play?

* IncorruptiblePurePureness: Possibly a deconstruction. His "pureness" includes a lack of conventional morality or sense of right and wrong, which makes him dangerous or outright deranged in morally complex situations.

* {{Keet}}: Compared to Killua's {{Tsundere}} personality, Gon is always friendly, excitable, inquisitive, outgoing, and ready to go on adventures.[[spoiler: This why it's so jarring to see his personality do a 180 during the Chimera Ant Arc. When he finds out Kite dies, it's incredibly disturbing and sad to watch.]]

* PowerAtAPrice: Generally, this is how nen works for everyone with one teacher comparing it to mahjong. The more conditions you meat the greater the reward. But there can be backlash as to meet the greatest conditions (like say, making yourself a PhysicalGod) you also have to ante up something big. For Gon [[spoiler:that's his adult Gon transformation which sacrifices eveything, [[CastFromLifespan his years remaining]], [[CastFromLifePoint his health]], and his [[BroughtDownToNormal nen potential/ability]]. Even after Nanika reverses the physical burden (He's physically back to normal), he still can't use nen even though his aura is back to normal.]]