I think I’ve finally realized what Gon is. Gon is not a subversion of Shonen protagonists. Gon is a representation of the people who read or watch Shonen. The people who love Shonen have a tendency to grow attached to characters, simply by seeing them more often. Regardless of what the characters do. For example, so many fans of Hunter x Hunter are perfectly willing to love the Phantom Troupe, despite the fact that they don’t even attempt to justify their horrific actions. For a parallel, many people forgave Vegeta in Dragonball Z, despite the fact that he never really asked for forgiveness, or repented for killing that Namek village. We just began to spend more time with him, and he became a valuable asset to the main character after that, so we forgave his previous actions. This is exactly Gon’s mentality. What someone has done doesn’t matter, all that matters is whether they’re a hinderance to the main character or not. And we see this mentality shine in how he reacts to the Phantom Troupe, before and after he learns that they will be a detriment to him and his friends. And of course, Gon cares little for characters that mean nothing to him. Same goes for Shonen fans. How many innocent people have died in the world of Shonen, and by the main characters hands? We either never care about them, or go “Aw man, the main character is so powerful!” Gon is much more than what any of us initially thought. He is a meta commentary on the readers, and how they think about the things they read. Whether that be the deplorable characters who are “cool” (Phantom Troupe), where we would mourn the death of a despicable character, just because we’d thought they were sexy, or cool, or characters we’ve grown attached to, who die (Kite), where some of us might go so far as to threaten the writer’s life, as we cannot handle losing something, that ultimately shouldn’t mean so much to us.

Sexually charged psycho clown is one of my favorite characters

I think the reason why this show is my all time favorite is exactly why the morality of gon is so debatable... because it shows true human nature. Often times in shonen were forced to go through the process of learning a characters backstory and developing attachment to them. A fundamental rule of writing is that "the good guys always win" so we have that narrative shoved down our throats time and time again. What this show did was not only blur the lines of good and evil, but show us step by step how easy it can be to corrupt someone as innocent as Gon with the correct circumstances. To me the moment that cemented this show in my mind as the GOAT was the scene with gon and pitou when "she" was begging him to let her heal komugi. The impactful dialog coupled with the immaculate animation and voice acting, gon's facial expressions during the convo, the shading on his face, the BGM... I'll never forget those words he says; "That isn't fair... That isn't fair damn it!! Why? Why are you helping her? After everything you did to kite? Why? Why!!!" (Gives me chills everytime) That moment alone made me feel true empathy for this fictional 12 year old boy... No other show has even scratched that surface for me. And I don't think one ever will...

The Gon Vs Hiska rematch...hopefully i see that fight before i have Grandkids

Of course Hunter x Hunter isn't about good or bad. The whole association is basically a giant mercenary network with hunters taking missions for money

"... it's possible Hisoka sees some of himself in Gon". Hisoka sees 9 inches of himself in Gon.

Nice, very true. Gon and Hisoka are quite different in terms of their attitude towards combat (Gon is much more emotional and "human," whereas Hisoka is detached) but it's clear that both love it. Gon just loves the thrill, as you said, whereas Hisoka loves dealing out bloodshed, like you said, and that's a key difference in their intent that seperates a likeable young dude with the "sexually charged psycho-clown." There are more differences of course - Hisoka is genuinely evil, malicious, sadistic, etc; while Gon is generally good natured. But there IS a ton of overlap - Gon has shown hints of sadism. Both have a similar moral framework. Both prioritize themselves above all else (Gon is definitely selfish - it just extends to his close loved ones. I don't buy that he's altruistic or primarily cares for others). Both like to WIN, whatever winning entails for them. Both are driven and impulsive. I think it's clear that Gon and Hisoka share quite a few aspects of "nature." And a lot of the key differences have been because of "nurture." And it's important that Togashi has ALWAYS been one to emphasize the importance of environment in development (similar to the "developmental psychology" you described). So while there is every chance that Hisoka is a sick fuck just because he has a screw loose (nature), I think that there is as much of a chance that something caused him to become that way (nurture). Yet Gon turned out quite differently because of the affection he received during childhood. But if Mito was a horrible, vile woman.. Hell knows what Gon would be like. I hope Togashi never tells us which is the truth about our clown. Hisoka is simple and that's why he works, and the mystery surrounding him is so awesome because it brings about discussion like this. To spell out exactly who he is for us would lessen the beauty of his character. He's perfect as he is.

*"He sees some of himself in him."* I bet he does....*shudders*

I think they both share a lot with Netero too. Netero's training session in the mountains shows how dedicated he is to get stronger, in the fight with Meruem he didn't seem to mind losing a limb or two for a fight and the narrator said that Netero was looking for someone who he could fight with all his might. He even implanted a nuclear bomb inside of himself to be able to beat an opponent that was stronger than him which shows how far he is willing to go for victory, just like Hisoka and Gon.

Great video as always. Would love to see you tackle a video examining Chrollo in one way or another, as well as one discussing the power system and what makes the fights in the series so enjoyable

If I had to imagine Hisoka was abused and raped as a boy, but eventually got an opportunity to exact revenge, and this revenge was sweet, so sweet that the allure of killing someone stronger than him, above him was addicting and he wanted that feeling again.

"Yet not everyone becomes a sexually charged psycho clown" is the best thing I have heard in a long time

wipe your hiatus tears with a new video everyone :(

Killua was abused pretty severely as a child but still, it is shown that Silva knows how to show him affection and nurture him. Maybe even through he had a terrible childhood, the normalisation of their lifestyle within the mountain and affection shown by his servants made him develop some kind of morals? I think Kullua is a natural progression to this topic.

If Gon were to have combat as his primary motivation I think he would become more like Goku from DBZ, and not Hisoka. I don't think Hisoka's motivation can be put as simply as he loves "combat", as combat is too much of an umbrella term here. What really motivates Hisoka is not the fighting itself, but the end result of it, which for Hisoka is death. What makes Hisoka so horny is that ending moment of the fight. When you get to hold the life (dreams, family, motivation, the entirety of being) of the person you defeat, in the palm of your hand, and just end it all just like you would squash a bug. This can be seen clearly in two scenes early in the show: 1) When Hisoka is choking Gon for the first time. While the fight was nothing for Hisoka, he still got really horny holding the life of someone with so much potential in his hand. So much so that he almost killed Gon. 2) Third phase of the Hunter exam, when Hisoka is building his house of cards. Hisoka reached orgasm (I think) when he destroyed the house of cards. This one is key because that means the entire motivation for Hisoka to build the house of cards in the first place (engage in combat) was to reach that moment of total destruction (death). In the case of Gon, being purely motivated to fight strong opponents would probably mean he would be happy just fighting the floor masters in the Heaven's Arena without killing them. Whereas Hisoka would find this extremely anti-climatic and boring. But maybe at some point Gon would miss that feeling he felt when Hisoka almost killed him, and he would start having combats to the death. Maybe that is what the lyrics of the first ending when Hisoka shows up, are trying to convey. Hisoka's way of life: "Life filled with vanity Colors have faded Things you desire exist here Flee from this colorless world" I love Hunter x Hunter.

Hopefully I'm still alive to see that rematch between Gon and Hisoka. Great video as always 👌

Videos like this just reaffirm to me that you're objectively the best content creator on the site.

When i heard: "Since this is the major factor separating Gon and Hisoka, how could he let go of them?" I instantly remembered one line from Chrollo, at the latest Saga in the manga where he sated: ( Possible spoilers ahead ) "Ties are not forgotten. They are severed." Just thought it was interesting to point that out.

Lack of early emotional human contact is a cause of much of the villainy in the real world

Yes! Finally! One of my favorite youtubers finally uploaded again! And it is a Hunter X Hunter video!

"A man that gets off on fighting, whose life goal is essentially to experience as much pleasure as possible, is naturally going to wreak havoc." Is this still Hisoka, or are we talking about Goku? (Also, everyone should think about how both Gon and Hisoka are deconstructions of the Goku character archetype that most shonen manga have tried to copy one way or another, and the reasons why they do the things they do become a lot more clear.)

Thank god someone is talking about HxH! Something needs to hype me for the new chapters!

I think one singular event could make Gon turn down that road to becoming a very Hisoka type character. If Gon and Killua ever got into a serious fight and Gon accidentally killed his best friend, at the same time feeling an intense and pure joy from that fight. I think that would cause the necessary psychological change to Gon personality. Making him seek out that thrill for competitive combat that Hisoka gets off on. Because I do think that is an important part of Hisoka to highlight he does not crave fighting onto itself, he longs for a true test of his skills to enter into a contest with someone capable of taking his life.

Do you have a degree on psychology or are you still a student? Your videos about hunter x hunter are always interesting and amazing. Thank you, hunter x hunter is a big part of my childhood and yu yu hakusho too. Too bad togashi is going on hiatus again, I'm hoping for him to end hunter x hunter before he dies, without rushing it like what he did on yu yu hakusho.

Rip dragon quest stole togashi from us again.

This sort of reminds me of the whole 'one bad day' aspect of the Joker (not just because they're both clowns), much like how Batman and Joker bring out the similarities and differences in each other Hisoka and Gon do the same. I find it very interesting that Hisoka can do that without ever being the sole focus of HxH though.

Phenomenal video once again! HxH is a masterclass in the human condition, and I definitely noticed this b4, good stuff!!

I'm actually happen that you touched on these people being a product of their environment. Great video you never cease to amaze me.

What you said about all "evil" characters lacking when it comes to social intreraction could be possible, since Kikyo Zoldyck is the side of the famile where the crazyness comes from and almost every member of Phantom Troope never had family in their life, since they were abandoned in Meteor city. Even Binolt was street kid.

You keep making videos that I didn't think I'd need, but I did.

I’m so happy you made a video about this. When I was watching HxH I noticed some of the things you pointed out but I wouldn’t be able to express with such eloquence.

Thank you again @Aleczandxr! Another great analysis video ☺️

another fantastic exploration of the characters in this series. thank you for all the thought and hard work you put into this. keep it up!

"Not everyone becomes a sexually charged murder clown." ...I feel personally attacked. :(

Well, it's time I watch Hunter x Hunter all over again

There is no good or evil. Meruem is shaped by his personal experiences. I for one welcome our new insect overlords.

I absolutely love your videos and your taste in anime is identical to mine. One of the best youTubers out there.. You take reviews to a completely new level of creation, not too many people are able to understand and analyse characters like that. Very well done, Alex Good luck ^_^

I fucking love this channel

Greeat video as always, but I think you forgot to mention the possibility that Hisoka might have had a completely normal family with no traumatic event that shaped his twisted personality. Togashi has written at least one textbook psychopath in the past. Sakyo from YuYu Hakusho was a human with no superpowers who had a normal, loving family but still became a murderous psychopath. Now, young Hisoka doesn't seem as sick as he is in the present, but this possibility can't be dismissed. Another interesting person in Hisoka's past is his mentor Moritonio, a half-functioning serial killer whose bloodlust seems to mirror Hisoka's

I love the complexity of your analysis so much I never skip the ads to support you some way

Hisoka is definitely a victim of his childhood circumstances, just as the other characters. Leoreo, Kurapika, and Killua's personalities and goals have to do with their childhood. It'd make sense for this to extend to Hisoka as well.

I think Hisoka sees his feelings for his idk fighting partners as a kind of love. It’s very limited and self focused for sure, but it’s emotionally meaningful for him. He’s insincere but earnest if that makes any sense? I think his conscious nurturing of Gon’s abilities tells you that much. As far as his childhood, I don’t think that it’s too far to guess that he sees no contradiction being a physical and sexual threat and a nurturer for a reason. I think it’s possible that he absolutely knows that whatever that formative relationship was was fucked up. But I think he just, can’t afford to treat it like trauma. It sometimes becomes easier to reframe an abusive relationship that as helpful in some fashion. Gon thinks of his father abandoning and stringing him along as a conscious desire to teach him. And Hisoka absorbed it into his erotic identity/decided to make it his art.

I had some similar thoughts for quite some time and I'm glad to see you discussing this topic. The video was *again* an awesome analysis! Really appreciated :)

I've been watching your Hunter X Hunter videos for a while and they're always awesome. This may be one of my favorites yet. I hadn't really thought of Gon's and Hisoka's character in these terms, but it makes perfect sense. I love how you present your opinions and thoughts. I'll be looking forward to more of your great videos!

Another wonderful analysis! I love the comparisons between the two characters

Amazing video as always. Wasn't on board until you drew the greed island parallels and the part about developmental psychology. You deserve way more subscribers. Also I think that no man can truly be as emotionally devoid as hisoka seems so its possible that all of this is sort of a weird twisted coping mechanism for him after whatever he went through, I think he does (in his own weird way) care about gon because as capable as he is, he could make gon hate him and make himself the ultimate goal that adds more drive to gons desire to get stronger to beat hisoka. I mean, imagine the hard on hisoka would have for gons rage form (the one he had against pitou) yet he doesn't. He lets the boy organically grow, even helps him and his friends sometimes. Maybe I'm biased but I don't believe hisoka is a complete emotionally devoid piece of shit, I think he's more human than we give him credit for.

Wonderful video, I especially agree wholeheartedly about the end where you said that there isn't any definite good or evil in this series, just a myriad of people shaped by their own experiences. To me, that is what separates this series from the large collection of shonen anime. I also know that it's really hard to write characters like that without falling in one side of good or evil. Togashi truly is quite masterful isn't he?

Your videos are the highlight of my week ^^ I could hear you talk about Gon, Killua, and HxH all day everyday!!

To me, the key difference between the two goes beyond the contrast between Gon's close relationships and Hisoka's lack of them. We could say that Gon feels nothing for people he's not interested in, but I would call that a vast oversimplification at best. Gon exudes a passive goodwill toward mankind in general, a sort of 'I hope your life is going well for you, even if I personally do nothing to make it so' kind of feeling. Hisoka's apathy is far more complete.

They are fundamentally different in the way that Hisoka is chill and Gon is hardcore af.

bro youre my favorite anime channel on youtube by far! i love how you analyze the thematics and characters of the fictional Works i enjoy the most and it shows that you really know what youre talkin about. I truly appreciate the effort you put in to your content and it makes me realize more of the effort the authors put in their art. Kudos to you i wish you all the best in life man. Keep up the great work!

Smh here reading Chapter 390 and falling into a deep depression... Hiatus X Hiatus

I legit stopped everything when this popped up in my subscriptions box.

ALEX's Back at it again with The great content #HXHGreatness

Daaaamn the Mr. Morj of HxH. So glad I found you

Very insightful, kudos!

On my way back to my dorm I thought "maybe I'll rewatch some hunter x hunter youtube vids" and boom new vid, must be fate

Yes! I've been waiting for another ones of your hunterXhunter videos. There my fav

Thank you oh so much for posting the songs

I remember while watching Hunterxhunter I noticed that Hisoka and Gon seemed kind of similar. This video helped me understand my thoughts much more clearly.

This video was uploaded on September 1st, in Yorknew City

Hisoka: Alright Gon you and me shall partake in the most pleasurable of battles! Gon: Sorry can't right now maybe Killua can fight you. Killua: Wait WHAT?! Hisoka: Fine but I just want you know that while I am POUNDING YOUR BEST FRIEND! I'll be thinking of you!

you do me right with these Hunter Hunter videos 😍😍😍

One other thing I noticed after a recent re-watch, is the similarities in one of their actions. In ther fight in Heaven's Arena, when Hisoka pulls Gon towards him with his Bungee Gum, the way Hisoka Punches, is quite similar to the way Gon punches Pitou after he has transformed. It's subtle, but it's the subtle things in this show that make all the difference.

This is why I prefer hisoka as main antagonist to gon because he's like the joker to batman in Anime.

Your videos are amazing

Always had this thought in the back of my mind, thank you for exploring it more in-depth!

14:40 is the best excerpt of the analysis from me. The parallel drawn between Hisoka and Gon, and how dangerously close they could've been if they had been brought up in different situations.

It'll be nice to see you make a video about the abilities of Yu Yu Hakusho and how it correlates to their personalities respectfully and how it parallels to their place in the narrative of the story similar to Nen in HxH but being that YYH is Hunter x Hunter predecessor from an introspective lens.

i really love the fact that now Hisoka is an absolute Psycho, like way more so than before. you knew he had Psycho undertones before and we've seen a few, but he always seemed to be reserved in a way instead of letting lose everywhere, he wanted great fights. but now that Chrollo killed him and he came back. its like Hisoka completely warped even further, now he's just gunna start murdering people left or right, good fight or bad. this makes me really excited for the moment Hisoka and Gon see each other again. my question is. will Hisoka bother waiting for Gon to grow up anymore? or will he legit try to kill Gon

I always get so hyped when I see your vids Alex keep it up

Goodness gracious. Yesssss. It's interesting that you point out the parallels between these two fabulous individuals seeing as how Hisoka awakened those battle tendencies within Gon during the exam arc. Regarding your point about seeing himself in Gon, I think rather than seeing himself in Gon, he saw what practically everyone else in the series saw--what pitou felt several times-- an enormous potential for power. Something exciting, something new. Which is the only thing that gave him joy. Heck, he did the exam just so that he could find strong opponents. It just seems like Hisoka is above the idea of reflecting on the past. He does what he wants because he can(most of the time). Man, I really want to know what he's about. I know many people feel that revealing his backstory will be a disservice to his character, but I would have to disagree. He could simply be a force of nature character. Knowing more about him would make him a fully realized character. I don't know. I just think I'd be his friend if I were in HxH. Which is odd because my real life morals would dictate that I'd stay away from him --but he's so fascinating. A sexual psycho killer clown who is an ogre. Which is to say that he has layers. Another great video, yet again. You know, with all the thought pieces you do, I'm surprised you haven't done some for Revolutionary Girl Utena or some other complex series. Not that I'm disappointed. Every video you do gives me life and little bit more to think about.

This was really well thought out. I've always known there were parallels between Gon and Hisoka, and that Hisoka is sort of the anti-Gon, in a way, but it's truly intriguing and creepy to think that one of the huge factors that led these two on varying pasts might have to do with the human connection, and the lack or immensity there of. On another note, would love to see an analysis of Illumi and Hisoka's mutually beneficially 'friendship' and why it works, too.

I have food, it's poring outside, and your talking about HxH. Hot diggidy daffodil!

Great new video. love the character analysis

I wish I had my search history from the early 2000s when I looked everywhere for a psychological analysis to this Manga and older anime. You sir are an answer to the dream of a younger version of me and I can't help but agree with your diagnosis in all your hxh material. And ppl wonder why Togashi Sama takes alot of time writing this material. Shit gotta make sense! otherwise the Manga wouldn't have been an ultra success. Keep up the good work and keep learning.

I think the reason for why we don't know anything about Hisoka's past is because you can fall into the trap by making the villain too sympathetic to the viewer/reader. Although, in may eyes, nothing can make Hisoka sympathtetic, but at least understansable for why he is the way he is. (This came up to me when i was reading the Introduction of "Start of Darkness".)

great always ♡ ur vids

"Why does he want to fight Chrono? Because the thought of it makes him uncontrollably horny." I can't breathe!

This was really good!

"Sexually charged psycho-clown" XDDDDD

I have often said hisoka sees a lot of himself in gon and how he could have been had things been different. it is a good thing that he didnt have the mindset biscuit had when she first saw gon and killua or hisoka instead of wanting gon to become stronger he might have went and killed everyone even slightly close to gon which from how we saw him react to kite who was someone while i think gon respected etc wasn't someone i think gon was amazingly close to. I mean imagine if hisoka wanted to break gon, like biscuit seemed to want to do at first, went and killed aunt mito and maybe even the whole of whale island.

One word for this video "Quality". Your videos are fucking awesome.

I never get sick of hearing you talk about morality. Or anything, really. Another excellent video.

Yusuke Urameshi from Yu Yu Hakusho also has an obsession with fighting...

Hunter x hunter is on hiatus again

Beautifully written! Well done with the creation of this video. :)

Wow I didn't take into account Gon and Hisoka's similarities in Nen ability. I do see how that can be seen as a direct intentional connection between the two characters. I like that you do not see things in terms of good and evil but in terms of push and pull. The characters are pushed in one direction by experience and coincidence or pulled there by circumstances. Your video makes me realize that Hisoka and Gon essentially have the same goal: For Gon to become as strong as Ging. It's fascinating how such difference characters can have their goals align in such a twisted way. Thanks for posting this! I REALLY want to know Hisoka's background. Especially his connection to Illumi and Machi.

5:43 Made me choke on my drink xD

16:31 though for me some characters deserve title of pure good like Komugi or Melody.

Wow this was incredible

Wao , truly an original and refreshing take on the series . Keep up the good work . Gotta have my fix of HXH videos hahah

"sexually charged psycho-clown." laught a lung out and still i love him. nice video

Hisoka = parallel of gon Illumi = parallel of killua Chrollo = parallel of kurapika ? = Parallel of Leorio

Huge difference between gon and Hisoka is their intelligence Hisoka is a genius whilst Gon gets tired of thinking unless spelled out to him. This makes a big impact, quite likely hisoka was smarter than his peers even in a normal environment so wouldnt fit in with his peers and like all people would get bored easy whilst doing simple tasks. Hisoka craves challenges which he seems out though fighting which exercises his brain and body, which is why he enjoys it so much it challenges him when he finds everything else easy and boring driving him to fight stronger and smarter people. As they are puzzles he canth and be challenged by.

Been watching you all day dude. Would love to hear you talk about Pariston. I find him so intresting, thank god he is in the D. Continant arc

Ilumi x Hisoka video make it happen

Imagine if Gon had lost everyone he loved, he could potentially become like Hisoka in the snap of a finger

Man, you always share a new point of view about this serie that makes it more enjoyable. As always, nice video ^^

Very intriguing and thought provoking video. You inspired me! Thank you for sharing :)