best anime of all time. It stars young Gon as he looks to leave his tiny hometown on Whale Island, become a legendary Hunter, and find his father Ging - all at 12 years old. For such a young kid, Gon is more than capable of handling himself across a variety of tough situations.

Gon is naive throughout the series, and it can't really be helped. Until the series began, he'd never seen the world outside his hometown, so he relied on his instincts for most situations. Unfortunately for his enemies, his instincts tell him to be one of the most unhinged characters in anime. Even though he's only 12, Gon destroyed some of the strongest characters in Hunter x Hunter, possesses a ridiculously powerful aura, and threw away his entire future for a single fight.

7 He Walked Genthru Down

Even After Getting Multiple Bones Broken

Genthru was one of the main antagonists of Hunter x Hunter's absolutely prophetic Greed Island Arc. Genthru was a scary villain in his own right, striking from the shadows lethally with a great Nen ability and some textbook lying. Gon even trusted Genthru, approaching him casually towards the end of the arc. Genthru took advantage of Gon's naivety and attacked, destroying his throat and hurting him severely. While this would have been more than enough to incapacitate most kids, Genthru picked the wrong one.

Related

Hunter X Hunter Subtly Explained One of Its Biggest Mysteries, Creating an Even Bigger One in the Process

Hunter X Hunter finally explains one Phantom Troupe mystery, creating an even bigger question in the process.

Posts

Gon was hurt pretty badly, but he couldn't care less. Once Genthru revealed his evil intentions, Gon had him in his sights. Even though he was heavily injured, Gon fought Genthru like a wild animal. He flew at the villain with an insane level of determination few other characters in anime could match.

Even when Genthru tried surrendering, Gon didn't care. He walked Genthru down with a cold, calculated level of anger and used his strongest attack on Genthru's body. Gon broke Genthru like an angry child would break their toy. It's a brutal moment that almost makes audiences feel bad for Genthru, who had no idea how menacing Gon really was.

6 Gon Held Komugi Hostage

He Did What It Took To Kill Pitou

Gon was on the warpath for Neferpitou. When he found out that Pitou had killed Kite, he didn't care about anything other than forcing Pitou to heal Kite. He went into the heart of the Chimera Ant's hideout to find her. When he did, he could barely contain himself. Luckily, his best friend in Hunter x Hunter, Killua, was there to help him realize the severity of the situation. Komugi, an innocent bystander in the battle between Ants and Hunters, was severely injured during Zeno Zoldyck's Dragon Dive.

Gon made a deal with Pitou: after she was done healing Komugi, she was to go with Gon to heal Kite. Once she finished, Gon took Komugi hostage. It's a shocking, dark moment that shows just how angry Gon really is. He's the same character that let a serial killer live and healed Genthru after Genthru killed hundreds in the name of mercy. With Pitou around, however, Gon couldn't care less.

There aren't many characters in anime who hold innocent people hostage that can be considered morally good. Gon leaves Komugi in good company, making sure nobody would hurt her, but he still takes her hostage. It's a moment so dark that Knuckle, Killua, and even Pitou couldn't believe he was really doing it.

5 He Hunted Pitou

Netero Sensed His Bloodlust

Gon went into the Chimera Ant's stronghold with a single objective: find Neferpitou. He wasn't just trying to find anyone, but one of the strongest villains in Hunter x Hunter who made quick work of his master Kite just a few episodes prior. Even though Pitou was supposed to be well out of his league in of power, he couldn't care less. When Gon watched Mereum walk out of a tower with Netero and Zeno, he knew he was close.

Related

Hunter x Hunter Hides One of Manga's Greatest Fights That You Should Really Revisit

Hunter X Hunter gave fans one of the greatest fights in manga, and one unique reason shows why it deserves this status.

Posts

In one of the coldest moments in the entire series, Netero senses Gon's bloodlust and smiles, pointing out Pitou in the room he had just left. The camera pans back to Gon, but it isn't the same 12-year-old boy the series has gotten to know. In an instant, Gon looks unhinged. Gon's so angry, he emits a pitch-black aura that consumes the air around him, replacing his normal eyes with a vicious look that tells the audience that Gon has destruction on his mind.

It's such a cool moment in the darkest way possible. Gon had never looked so scary before that moment. When he found where Pitou was within the compound, he could barely contain himself, flying at her with a murderous intent only seen in the series' villains. The result is easily one of Hunter x Hunter's best fights, but also one of its scariest as fans watch just how dark Gon has become in his quest for revenge.

4 Yells at Nobunaga

In Front of the Entire Phantom Troupe

The Phantom Troupe is a group of the Hunter x Hunter. Each member is a powerhouse in their own right, and together, they're nearly unstoppable. When they kidnap Gon and Killua, the two know they have nearly no chance of escape. Some of the Troupe recognize Gon as the little kid who beat Shizuka in an arm-wrestling competition previously, so Nobunaga uses the opportunity to test the 12-year-old's strength for himself.

In a surprisingly endearing moment, Nobunaga begins to interrogate Gon about the death of his good friend Uvogin. He tells Gon about how much the Troupe all cared for their fallen member and how angry they all are at his loss. While Nobunaga is trying to get information out of Gon, he unintentionally reveals the Troupe's hypocrisy.

Gon calls him out, citing the numerous people that the Troupe has killed themselves. He asks Nobunaga how he could feel remorse for one of his own but ignores the pain of so many others, slamming his hand into the table and winning the arm-wrestling competition after taking several losses. Gon was never scared to be held captive, but to so openly display his anger to violent criminals more than capable of killing him in an instant is nothing short of unhinged.

3 Dedicated Himself to Revenge Against Hisoka

He's Only 12-Years-Old

Hisoka Morow is one of the creepiest, scariest characters in anime. He only wants to fight strong people, and it's one of the few reasons he actually lets Gon live at the beginning of the series. He sees the 12-year-old's potential and decides that it would be more fun to let him get stronger and to kill him when he realizes his immense power. Gon doesn't care about stuff like that. He's a much more straightforward character who just wants to punch villains in the face and move on.

When Hisoka dominates and humiliates Gon, Gon makes it his mission to punch Hisoka in the teeth. He dedicates his entire existence to getting stronger so that he can get his revenge one day. While most kids Gon's age are in school, or hanging out with their friends, Gon is training to fight a sociopath two to three times his age. It doesn't make any sense on paper, but Gon makes it look like a completely reasonable decision.

Their fight in Heaven's Arena is one of the best in the series. After Hisoka deflects Gon's attacks easily, Gon creates an opening and gets his revenge. The two stop the fight, exchange Hisoka's Hunter Tag from the Exam that Gon's kept with him all this time, and go back to fighting.

2 Breaks Illumi’s Arm

Even Though Illumi Could Have Killed Him

Illumi Zoldyck and Hisoka Morow are two of the most twisted friends in Hunter x Hunter, and it's easy to see why they get along so well. They're both single-minded sociopaths who use the people around them as tools to accomplish their dark goals. Illumi has controlled Killua mentally for a large part of the series, and during the Hunter Exam, he forces Killua to kill an examiner and fail the test. He sends Killua back to the Zoldyck Mansion, largely against Killua's will.

When Gon finds out Illumi is responsible for his newfound friend's absence, he's furious. He's smart enough to understand how strong Illumi Zoldyck is, but for Killua, he doesn't care. He grabs Illumi's arm and pulls him out of his seat. He then squeezes Illumi's arm with enough force to break it, forcing the assassin to recognize Gon's strength. It's another one of Gon's unhinged moments that shows that even in the face of legitimate danger, or someone immensely stronger than him, he couldn't care less.

1 Sacrifices Everything to Kill Pitou

He Threw Away His Future For Revenge

Gon only wanted to revive Kite. He didn't necessarily want to fight Pitou, but when he found out that there was no bringing Kite back, he lost it. Gon sacrificed his future to acquire an absurd level of power in an instant. He became so strong that Pitou compared him to Mereum himself. While he was angry with Pitou before, this was an entirely new level. Gon was willing to give up everything if it meant killing Pitou.

No other shōnen protagonist has been so self-destructive. When Naruto was losing himself to the Nine-Tails in his fight against Pain, his father was there to talk some sense into him. Naruto regained his composure quickly thereafter. When Killua came to talk some sense into Gon, it was already way too late. Not only had Gon made the pact to end his ability to use Nen, he was past the point of caring. It's an unhinged moment that makes perfect sense within Gon's character arc.

He's not a character known for thinking. He does what he wants when he wants to, and unfortunately for Pitou, the only thing he wanted was her death. It's a dark, somber moment that shows just how much Gon really loved Kite and how responsible he felt for his death.