#gon analysis

It's no secret that Gon is energetic and friendly young boy who is incredibly determined at getting what he wants and achieving his goals. It's a positive trait to have in general, but he takes it into extremes. But get this, more than just being goal-oriented, he is deeply driven by his values.

Ever before the hunter exam, he shows signs of his unflinching nature. He doesn't and never compromise what he values and believes in, even to the threat of death. And it's not because he's suicidal or reckless—it's just that his values and ideals are far more important than his own life. And we see it happening multiple times; from Gon refusing to lose against Hanzo despite threats of dismemberment to fighting Genthru one-on-one instead of sticking to the plan. He isn't impulsive in the way people assume—he’s aware of consequences, he just willingly accepts them if it means staying true to who he is and what he believes.

But how does this relate to his breakdown?

Gon's values and ideals highly govern his actions and how he sees himself. Whatever he believes in, he commits to it with entire being; an all-or-nothing mindset if you will. One of these manifestations is his desire to protect his friends. So to do that and among other stuff, he has to get stronger. Strength isn't just power—it’s proof of worth, proof of protection, proof that his values can be enforced. Then in walks Pitou, who absolutely pummeled Kite. And that devastate him.

It's not just about guilt of sacrifice or the grief of having someone close to him die, it's about of being unable to uphold his core values of protecting his loved ones. It may seem like a normal thing but for someone like Gon who never compromises? It's a complete attack and total annihilation to sense of self—especially with his view of strength. And I'm not even exaggerating, you guys saw how much damage it did to his psyche.

For Gon whose identity is so intertwined with his ideology, it's like a confirmation of condemnation. He feels so shattered he's like,

"It doesn't matter what I do or what I destroy to achieve, I'm gonna kill Pitou for making me powerless to commit to my values no matter what it takes, even when it kills me. But this time, conventional morals are irrelevant."

That's why he's willing to use Komugi as a leverage. He doesn't dehumanize her; he knows it’s wrong. He’s not blind to it. He just… doesn’t care anymore. His entire world has collapsed, and he's already in his personal hell, what's one more thing to add? She's an obstacle to his path, almost everyone is. So if destroying her means getting to Pitou, the perpetrator of destruction of his ideology, then so be it.

This also doesn't contradict Gon's desire for Pitou to heal Kite. If Kite is healed, then that means he didn't completely fail in protecting his friend, his mentor, someone important to Ging. There's still hope, right?

Well that shattered quickly.

His values aren't a problem, it's essential to his foundation and it's not twisted. It's just that, when even just one is broken, he will self-destruct and take the ones who makes him self-destruct along with him. There's no doubt about it. You can't break Gon by hurting him physically, socially, and psychologically. You break him by making him fail his values and ideals.

Gon doesn't need to change, he just needs to learn how to bend than snap.

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Contrary to popular belief, Gon doesn't exactly see the world in a black-and-white manner where he sees friends as good and anyone who hinders him as bad. If he is, you really think he sees Hisoka and Binolt as friend-shaped? If someone says yes, I'm...not too sure what to say other than a very soft yet firm no. We're gonna unpack this further as we go along. But first, let's uncover why he's mostly accepting with diverse people and backgrounds that goes beyond just naivety and innocence.

Inherently and perhaps subconsciously, Gon believes that everyone has their own moral/value systems, which means it doesn't always align with conventional norms. He knows what's right and wrong, like when he knows lying is bad and killing is wrong. But fundamentally, he adheres his own and this adherence manifest as respect to other worldviews, even with criminals. He doesn't judge them by societal standards, he's outside of it. He doesn't group himself with society, he group himself with himself. So when he judges, it's not if they're good or bad, or if they're friends or foes. It's by what they mean to him.

So instead of friends and enemies, it's:

His people (e.g. friends, loved ones, aligning with his values)

People who didn't do anything bad to him or threaten what he believes (him being helpful generally)

People who are useful and/or a challenge to him  (proving himself)

People who violate his personal values, but don't threaten his internal world (he fights them, but doesn't really hate them unless they impact his people negatively I think)

Others that actually threaten what he believes in and/or make him fail his values (he fights them + he dislikes/hates them)

This is why he hates the Phantom Troupe and Pitou, and not Hisoka and Binolt. Hisoka and Binolt show blatant disregard for others (and they make him prove his worth to himself), but the Phantom Troupe and Pitou show internal inconsistency in how they treat others. Not just because they kill people, but because they internally violate who they are supposed to be which he cannot internally justify. Unlike Gon who is generally nice and helpful to everyone, he sees Phantom Troupe and Pitou as the opposite. At least—in his mind, he isn't a hypocrite with how he treats others even though his emotional attachment to them varies.

With Hisoka and Binolt, he interacts and seems generally fine with them, but that doesn't mean he sees them as friends. He neither trusts them nor shows emotional warmth like he typically do with others generally, especially his friends. He knows they're bad but for him, as long as they serve a purpose in his life that doesn't threaten his values, and they remain internally consistent, he's willing to co-exist.

With the Phantom Troupe, he's like,

"Why are you grieving for your comrade but don't extend that empathy to the countless innocent lives you took for no good reason?"

That infuriates him to the point where he wants to capture them.

With Pitou, it's given—Kite and self-annihilation. But there's also,

“Why are you capable of caring and still chose to brutalize my person?”

Pitou is a monster, but Pitou isn't a consistent monster. And that moral inconsistency is unforgivable.

Your past is irrelevant to him, what matters is who you are right now and to him. And most importantly, is how internally consistent he sees you and the impact you leave to what or who he cares about, not necessarily his physical well-being.

Gon may like to help, but he's not the epitome of justice. While he generally cares for people as seen when helping them, it's more of an alignment to what he believes in. He doesn't seek to reform or judge people, he just reacts whether they help or hinder him.

In essence, he is externally inconsistent yet internally consistent.