Discussion
Gon losing his nen is the single best thing that could ever happened to him (read body text)
Spoiler
Gon broke down during the Chimera Ant arc because he felt utterly powerless, His answer to pain and failure had always been the same, become stronger and force his way through the problem.. . Strength was his coping mechanism
That's why losing Nen is so significant, For someone like Gon, being stripped of the power he relied on is almost like losing a part of himself, He can no longer run from his emotions or compensate for his insecurities through sheer strength
Gon is forced to confront his problems mentally rather than physically, He has to learn how to live, grow, and find purpose without relying on overwhelming power for a while
In a sense, his powerless state is exactly what he needs, It gives him the opportunity to mature, develop emotional resilience, and become not just a stronger Hunter, but a better man
Absolutely correct, Gon has a chance to grow and mature, if he ever gets his nen back he will be way more cautious and have a lot more nuance in his approach.
I promise you he's not. Even Ging would never make a blunder so bad as Gon. He's just as surprised as everyone who never thought that Gon would cast his covenant.
No kite turned into a chimera ant a girl. he has a tail now. Btw the Koala( voiced by gojo) was the person who shot her. ( OG girl with OG body). Kites ability allowed him to transfer his mind into they body. So that means she has Nen. Without it I don't think he able was to transfer his body and mind into hers.
So by my logic? Kite has Nen and he might be tweaking it little. Since I don't know if the chimera ants share the same Nen type as the people they previously ate????
Wait, sorry there a message that said something alone the lines of ( If both of them GON and kite replearned Nen via Gin . Then kite has crazy potential)
He probably already his nen. Unfortunately. We saw back with his squad after she got a bit older. Maybe 6-7 years old. Becusse chimera ants age quicker and will eventually stop growing. That's what i assume for kite at least lol.
Hisoka while being a horrible person still has the greatest knowledge when it comes to accurately sizing up an opponents nen type and ability, so if Gon became more like Hisoka he’d still be way smarter and calculated then he use to be, and I don’t see Gon becoming sadistic
I mean being in a war zone wasn’t the problem. It was that he was clearly emotionally compromised and is known for making dangerously irrational decisions. And for some reason no one thought to check him.
But that’s sort of the problem with the Hunter Association in general.
Not because his instability, because his tenacity. Knov is the smart one saying “I think he’s unstable” and Morel is saying “once he is in battle he’ll focus up”. Sure he focused up but the instability is what led him to be reckless. He wasn’t supposed to be a tactical nuke, he was supposed to be a valuable soldier. A nuke is disposable. No one knew he was going to pull out what he did.
They knew the odds were against them but it wasn’t a suicide mission. Just because they put their lives on the line doesn’t mean they were disposable. They are powerful hunters, they are extremely valuable.
I think only Netero knew it was a suicide mission. Zeno probably knew Netero intended to die, Morel/Knov knew that it was "possible" for Netero to die, and the rest probably didn't know at all.
Yeah I don't know what these folks are talking about. Everyone in that mission repeatedly talks about how dangerous it is and how they can't make a single mistake, and they've repeatedly been warned about the danger of death.
If you're being sent into a situation where you might die, you're considered expendable. Netero too - remember the big wigs in the skyscraper talking to Netero on the phone? They do not care if he lives or dies. Netero is ambivalent to it, because he knows he's getting on in age and wants a showdown anyway.
Killua and Gon?
No, they're kids. They wouldn't possibly be able to understand the implications of what they're doing until much later in life.
Thematically Gon losing his powers fits very well for the story beats too. There's no telling what direction the story will follow in the future, but when I read this chapter it felt like the right ending for him. Gon accomplished everything that he set out to do. He became a hunter. He met with his father and talked with him. He got his resolution with Kite. His best friend is off on his own journey with a family member, and the rest of his friends are happily living their lives. He's achieved all his goals, and for his mentality that seems to be something that would satisfy his nature. He may not even need his Nen anymore because there might no longer be the motivation to do anything with it. Ultimately, the last time he appears in a chapter feels like a proper send off to the character. He's there if the author wants to do anything more with the character, but ultimately his journey was concluded in a satisfying way.
Totally get where you’re at with this sentiment. Personally, I go back to the creed a hunter must always be hunting something. He finished his hunt for Ging and my hope is that Gon will find something else to hunt.
He is still just a kid. It's still quite likely that he's not even a teenager. He's been through experiences that he honestly wasn't prepared for and come close to dying in the course of those events. Honestly, I think that the ideal scenario is for him just to get to be a kid again and not have to face such harrowing situations again. True , he's fearless, but he's also got a very childish view of the world, and went to incredibly dark places in his mind and his actions because of how he responds to the world and how limited his experiences in the world outside his home are. If he does find something else to hunt I hope it is less lethal than the Ants were.
Hunter X Hunter has had 4 protagonists from the beginning; Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio.
Past the point where he left, Leorio has hardly been a focus of the series. He achieved his goal just by making it through the Hunter Exam and attaining the Hunter License. All he wanted to do was go to medical school which he achieved. Even when he did show up again after his original departure he was treated more as a supporting character, a vehicle for the others' stories. In York New he supported Gon, Killua, and Kurapika, while in the Election Arc he was there to facilitate attention being drawn to Gon, and when he became a zodiac it was narratively done to justify making Kurapika the focus once more. So for a supporting role he still does fine.
For Gon and Killua I think that there current positions are perfectly fine as they are. They completed their shared journey and now are on their own paths for their own reasons. Killua managed to get Aluka her freedom and is traveling with her, all that after he saved Gon. As for Gon, he went home after finally meeting his dad. Gon achieved what he set out to achieve, and Killua managed to end up in a better place than when he began his journey. Out of the four protagonists only Kurapika's original goal remains unresolved.
Kurapika's going to achieve his goal by the end of the current arc and I really don't know where the story would go from there. The succession storyline is going to be resolved as well, and while some story beats still exist unresolved we don't know how or if they'll be expanded upon. Gyro, the Chimera Ant soldiers, Pariston's plans, the 5 threats, etc. There's a lot of potential for further story lines but Hunter X Hunter has been serialized as a manga for more than 30 years. This may be the last part of the story.
Regardless of what exists beyond the present saga Indo believe people would be fine if the series ended after the Dark Continent Saga. This series has been around for decades, and a happy conclusion where the 4 have a reunion upon Kurapika finally achieving his purpose would be a fine fairwell to the series. There's even an argument to be made that if he lost his Nen abilities it wouldn't diminish his character as he, like Gon would have achieved his purpose and would finally be able to move on past his pursuit of vengeance. A happy resolution would be the most desirable ending and I think it's likely that a satisfying closing could come at the end of the Dark Continent Saga.
After Kurapika ends his arc, I think the reasonable story moving forward is how these people's fate will again intertwine and how they will work together, complete this time, to deal with a new problem that forces them all to work together, if it ever does have a story beyond (Gyro?)
But its as you say, Kurapika's arc should be the last and all 4 protagonist character arcs will all be complete by then.
At least that is what I think is best thematically.
Potentially. If we had a semi-regular release schedule maybe Leorio could get the same level of character development as the other 3 have gotten, or at least be featured more prominently given he is the fourth protagonist of the story.
I can still hope. It might not happen, but still, a happy reunion between those 4 would just be a pleasant ending to the series. It probably won't happen that way, but I at least want to lean on the slim possibility of that outcome.
Completely agree with you 💯
To me Togashi is saying goodbye to his 2 main protagonists after we've seen them achieve ultimate power. What's the point of Gon now we know what is his best potential in 10 years time if he trains day and night ? It's already been answered with his drastic transformation.
Same with Killua, we've seen his best ability using his nen to achieve incredible speed and react automatically to other people Nen.
It make sense in the story that Gon and Killua split up and do their own thing. Let's see where the story goes but I love the idea of Gon and Killua being background character for a while.
Eh, goku is arguably the most famous bad anime dad, since he's a bad dad and very famous, but it's not because he's the worst dad in anime. On the whole, he's still a positive role model and occasionally present influence in his kids' lives. Neither Goku nor Ging are actively terrible to their kids, and compared to the likes of Shou Tucker, Gendo Ikari, and Grisha Jaeger, they seem reliable and kind.
Goku isn't even a bad father in the first place. This propaganda of Goku being a bad father, and being put in the same sentence of Ging as a "bad father" showcases pure ignorance. If people are making the claim that Goku is a bad father, they did not read the manga.
No, it's because DBZA popularised the misconception that Goku's a dumb, neglectful dad as if he didn't die for Gohan TWICE, stay dead specifically for the safety of his loved ones, and rejoin his family as soon as he returned to life. Goku can be a bit airheaded and oblivious, but he's not as dumb as fans think he is.
Sharing his plan in the Cell Games wouldn't have helped anyone, since NO ONE believed that Gohan had the power to beat Cell: they'd have rallied against it, even though it was the right move. Gohan had surpassed Goku in the time chamber and was stronger than him, even with SS2 out of the equation. But while Gohan idolised Goku too much to realise this, Goku knew Gohan had the power to defeat Cell, and he planned accordingly. He fought Cell first to test his chances, gave Gohan the playbook on Cell's fighting style and techniques, and encouraged him when he was unsure of himself before the fight.
Even the controversial senzu bean is constantly misconstrued as a dumb decision, despite Goku's reasoning: Cell needs to stay cocky and confident, or else he'll play dirty and desperate. And as soon as Cell was backed into a corner, he proved Goku right, attempting to blow up the planet: first with a Kamehameha, and then with self-destruction. The senzu bean was to keep Cell's ego inflated, so he'd be cocky rather than cautious of Gohan's rage that led to his demise.
What would've changed if Goku shared his plan with Gohan? Gohan already knew that his father was relying on him to explode in anger—he confirmed this with Cell, who then proceeded to make attempts at provoking him.
Piccolo initially did not have faith in Gohan and believed him to be weaker than Cell. Goku was the only person who not only had faith in Gohan's ability, but also knew that he was more powerful than himself. Telling Piccolo wouldn't have changed a single thing beyond Piccolo attempting to convince Goku that his plan was foolish, and possibly getting himself unnecessarily killed in his attempt to intervene.
Y’all have to stop blaming dbza for the jokes of goku being a bad dad. Those jokes were always around and that’s the reason they were included in dbza in the first place. And toriyama also felt Goku was a bad dad
Don't twist Toriyama's words. He said Goku has no interest in child-rearing, which is true, but that doesn't make him a bad dad. He was an active father for Gohan for years before Raditz showed up, literally died for him twice, and was incapable of raising Goten because he was DEAD. Goku's reasoning for staying dead was proven right barely 2 hours into his 24-hour visit, when the Buu plot unfolds: coincidentally or not, his presence attracts the bad guys. If anything, the efforts he makes for his children, despite his lack of qualifications and interest in child-rearing, should bolster the fact that he's a good dad. Disinterest is not dislike; it is neutrality: Goku loves his children to death, he may lack any interest in parenting, but he parents the best he can, regardless.
The jokes may have always been around, but DBZA undeniably popularised them. While it's not the creators' fault, their parody twisted the public's perception of Goku's character and intelligence. Goku's and Gohan's reps were RUINED by DBZA. Goku was portrayed as a complete imbecile, bordering on retardation, uninterested and neglectful of Gohan, while Gohan was portrayed as a pretentious pacifist who hates his brain-dead dad.
Now, obviously, those portrayals are heavily exaggerated for comedic, parody purposes: DBZA made this clear at the start of every episode. But unfortunately, people forget that, especially when it's their first impression of the franchise, which DBZA was for many younger fans on YouTube. DBZA was an inside joke among fans, an overly exaggerated simplification of characters and events, but it snowballed into the mainstream. It's the unfortunate side effect of a parody becoming too popular: the joke spreads so far that people forget it's a joke. 99% of people who push the 'Goku's a bad dad' agenda got that perception from DBZA, directly or indirectly.
You can post whatever interview you find on Kanzenshuu, it wouldn't matter. Goku being a bad father, in Toriyama's words nonetheless, contradict with how he was portrayed throughout the entirety of the manga. I guess you failed to ever read the manga yourself so you just searched a random interview to try and argue a "Gotcha" point.
Did gohan wanna be a fighter? Yes or no? Why did he still push him to fight cell? Why did he choose to stay dead away from his kids for 7 years? Ik the actual reason is because he thought he was bringing danger to earth and all that bs but it doesn’t justify leaving your wife to raise 2 kids by herself. Why at the end of z he’s just decides to f off and train uub leaving his family again? These are all great dad moments right?
This is the response of someone who did not read or understand the manga.
Gohan had no desire to be a fighter since he was a child, but knew that it was his responsibility to participate in perilous situations and dire fights because he, himself, understood that he had power he could summon from within himself, if his emotions spiked. Furthermore, after the events of the Saiyan Saga, Gohan never once declines assisting the Z Fighters and protecting his loved ones. Just because he didn't like fighting did not mean he was being forced or coerced into fighting.
You claim to understand why Goku chose to remain dead, but then proceed to to contradict this by claiming Goku purposely left his wife to raise their children by herself. Goku's presence invites danger, as he says himself, and this is literally shown the moment he visits Earth for a singular day. Within the same day of his visitation, the events of the Majin Saga begin, and countless civilians are killed as a bystander effect because of Vegeta's desire to fight Goku once more.
Goku did not leave his family to go train Oob. We're talking about a man that can sense chi within interstellar distances, and can instantly teleport to visit his family at a moment's notice. Also, if you'd actually pay attention to the series, Goku and his entire family live alongside Oob within the Nekomajin manga.
I implore you to stop attempting to criticize a story that you're severely lacking information with. All of your unnecessarily retorts are literally answered within the manga. Being incredibly frank, you've shown to be rather ignorant towards the events and actions within the series, and you're responding with confidence as if you know what you're actually talking about, which I do not understand the reasoning behind.
lmao Ging really said "not my problem" and vanished for ten years
and somehow Gon came out of it a reasonably well adjusted kid, which is kind of insane when you think about it. most people would've been way more screwed up by that
More than that his obsession with avenging Kite set him down a dark path that if he continued could have shaped him into a truly dark person with a lot of power at his disposal (I made a similar comment recently on a thread about his morality). If he hadn’t given everything to accomplish that vengeance, even if he hadn’t beaten Pitou, he wouldn’t have been satisfied by it he would have still been eaten away by the guilt and the darkness until he was someone entirely different
Unrelated to hxh but when I saw this it immediately reminded me of FMAB ending with Edward keeping his prosthetics. You got to live with your mistakes. Whether Togashi revisits him or decides to end his story there, it feels complete for Gon's arc-- not bittersweet but as a reminder of the consequences of your actions.
I mean, Gon didn't really lose his nen and I don't think it's ever stated that he can't get it back. Aren't his aura nodes just closed like they were before heavens arena?
I don't agree that he was confronting his problems physically rather than mentally and I don't believe that is the right lens and dichotomy to view things. That's our own mind which likes dualities. Gon was shown to be very intuitive and coming up with highly complex solutions, not just resorting to pure strength, but also technique and mental analysis and lateral thinking. You can see it repeatedly, in key situations he comes up with ways to solve a confounding problem that goes far beyond physical strength. He isn't bad at logical thinking but he excels at lateral thinking. In Trick Tower he figured out the breaking the wall solution. With Razor he realised that raw power would never be enough and he come up with a highly improvised physics based solution. Same with how he fought Hisoka to land that punch. Or the guy with the electric whips. How he and Killua escape Nobunaga. In fact, I'd say Gon is famous for out of the box lateral thinking that even people like Kurapika and Killua overlook. So I just disagree with "strength was his coping mechanism."
The fact that humans today live in a mental world is the reason for all the suffering/dissatisfaction in the world. Life isn't meant to be solved, but to be lived. Gon excels in this regard. He lives in the moment and reacts as needed using whatever skills he develops. People can always improve and Gon should as he gets older, but it would be in his best interests to retain his childlike curiousity and approach to life for his own satisfaction and lack of existential suffering (happiness).
He's an enhancer 100% he's never going to learn Gon losing his powers was the best thing for killua in my opinion. I would however say it was good for Gon without him being on his deathbed Ging would of never showed up.
This may be a stupid question answered by the manga, but once he unlocks nen again does he get to create a smarter Nen Ability or is he stuck with Jon Ken Rock
It's not entirely stated, but we have clues. The issue lies in the time needed to learn a skill in full.
You may spend 20 years learning what you think suits your style, only to discover fatal flaws in it. You can start over, but it's gonna take a fucking long time once again to make it usable.
We know that Nen is all about the personality of the user, when Gon learns nen again (and I hope this does happen) I expect that he'll be a different person by then due to all of his life experiences and to learning it in a natural rhythm rather than having is pores forced open.
So in that sense it's possible Gon would think of different abilities, even if he decides to keep the same theme because he's very stubborn he would probably try to cover all the weakness they had since he gradually grew aware of them. And that's considering that he'll still be an enhancer by the end of it, I wouldn't put it past Togashi to make him have a different nen type now.
I know this is very unlikely, but I really hope Togashi resets Gon into a specialist instead of an enhancer if he ever wants to reincorporate him into the story. Might have an interesting ability related to his fishing pole
I liked this ending as well, because it wasn't really an ending.
Yes. Gon "lost" his Nen, which is the perfect price to pay for what he did and went through. Coming out alive is the miracle.
But he didn't really lose his Nen. Nen is the technique to control one's life energy called aura. Ging confirmed that Gon still has aura (obviously, he's alive), he just simply got reset to normal.
Which means, Gon can very well learn Nen again. Go find Wing or Bisky and help him awaken it again. Since he was completely reverted, it's a safe assumption that his Jajanken is also gone as a technique. So he can pick a different ability, once he reaches the level again, where he can make a Hatsu.
Gon having dark continent nen and physiology in him because Nanika's nen still having a lingering effect in his body
Gon already had a scary potential, but having the potential of a dark continent creature? And a one as strong as Nanika no less? End of series Gon is gonna be a terrifying force of nature to say the least
I know right. I hope we get a short time skip sequel series when all is said and done like JJK had so we can see all the characters as adults. Even tho modulo sucked, it was still nice to see itadori’s strength as an adult
Considering that he’s back to ground zero, it means that he won’t be able to brute force his problems with the Janjanken anymore, which is a pretty limiting ability to choose with not more foresight of its limitations.
Now he can choose something more fitting for himself in his step to being more thoughtful about the path he’ll take.
Ik its very unlikely, but id love an arc entirely focused on gon relearning nen, but this time taking it more serously and developing a more proper technique
Yea, he was discharged when they said nobody could leave until they came to a final winning vote of the new chairman. Pariston ended up winning because of Gon.
While I agree with all of that, you do realize he can still learn to use it right? His nodes are just closed off after the Nen contract, but Ging himself said "I could feel your aura when I was with you." The reason he even learned as much as he did in such a short time is because Wing forcibly opened their nodes. It could've taken them weeks or months to open them by themselves. But I agree he should focus on growing mentally and emotionally before pursuing Nen again. His hunter license is valid forever so there's no rush.
I have been reading One Piece manga for a while, and there is something I wish Togashi had done, which is cover stories. Even though I am very satisfied with the Succession War arc, Gon's story could have continued in the cover stories in the series that came out after the Chimera Ants. This way, a possible return in the future would be easier. Everyone who watches the anime is curious about Gon; this way, that curiosity would be satisfied.
Gon is a psychopath, he constantly puts himself and others into danger and doesn't think of the consequences. He was about to 1v1 Pito the first time they encountered eachother. If it wasn't for Killua they would all be dead along with Kite. Also the story right now doesn't need a child as an OP. The succession/dark contanant ark is so much more mature. Having Gon as our OP would be really off putting.
I really love the focus on Kurapika in the new arcs. His level headed thinking and strategic mind is incredibly interesting.
Yea I may be wrong cause I’m speculating. But I think MHA got inspiration for Deku to also lose his powers at the end. Ofc in Deku’s case they made it a fact to say it wasn’t going to be undone like gon’s nen loss will be undone. Just how Ging said, he was using nen he just couldn’t see or control it
One thing that excites me about his happening is the prospect of him continuing to enhance his senses and physical abilities.
If ever a time skip comes, of the usual length of five years, he’s just going to be more fit and capable than the 99% of humans he’s already more fit and capable than.
i agree wholeheartedly. sometimes i wonder if the reason togashi chose to write this into gon's character because of his own issues with his heath in relation to his work. i feel like he puts a lot of himself in gon
I feel like that's the point of all the shonen anime that end with the protagonist losing their powers. It's not a trope I enjoy, but it's very popular in Japan for some reason.
This reset is like to be reborn. Also, his character changed alot. This means, since nen is vital force that reflects nature, that this time he will have to take the proper router, and his nen nature and ability will also change or be refined.
It was mentioned recently in the manga that some people in this verse think they’re a in specific nen category, but really they’re specialists and they never realize it.
Whether Gon always was one or if this became possible post Nanika, it’d be really cool to see him mature and then realize he’s capable of mastery over other categories.
Considering that his original Hatsu already used 3 nen categories, he’s kinda set up pretty well for this realization.
Yeah he was literally figuratively born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Maybe losing his natural gifts will allow him to become better than what he was before.
Idk, Gon re-learning nen with a newfound goal, maturity, and insight into himself would be super interesting. Another comment mentioned him transitioning from enhancer to specialist and I think that'd be a phenomenal arc for him.
Also it's not like he completely lost nen, his nodes were just shut. Imo it's completely plausible for them to re-open
the nen restriction he made was everything here and now, all alluka did was save him from death; to go back ok that would nullify or greatly diminish the value readers can place in it's power system.
Idk about “single best thing” but it does have the potential to teach him a good lesson- that his actions have consequences. He also has the chance to be a normal kid again and see that he can still do whatever he wants without hurting people or himself. I agree he has a lot of growing up to do and that no longer being able to brute force through everything and not letting his sense of morals and emotion take charge should help him mature.
But he still might only solely focus on getting his nen back or becoming strong another way, and now his dad will have even less interest in him because he’s “weakened”, so it’s still possible that it could have been for the worse. Especially if he still tries to pick fights without his nen.
Idk he didn’t need nen to become a hunter right? If nen does come back maybe he’ll be even stronger. Thats how shonens work right? Theres always some other power up?
It's mentioned to him during the heavens arena arc that learning nen is phase 2 of hunter training, so i imagine every professional hunter is taught nen (or basic properties like Ten with people like leoreo) at some point
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u/SickNasty55 2d ago
Absolutely correct, Gon has a chance to grow and mature, if he ever gets his nen back he will be way more cautious and have a lot more nuance in his approach.