The Nuances of Good and Evil: Gon Freecss’ Moral Code

Gon’s Decline and Characterization

Gon Freecss’ dark metamorphosis and his subsequent destruction of Neferpitou are undoubtedly legendary. It became one of the most iconic scenes in the entire series. However, it never feels strange because of the mood that is in Gon. From the start, what establishes Gon’s characterization matches his decline. At a crucial moment, Gon confronts Pitou, a cat-humanoid Chimera Ant and the firstborn of the Chimera Ant King’s three Royal Guards responsible for many sufferings.

To gather enough power to destroy Pitou, Gon sacrifices his potential and future in a fit of rage and despair. His reckless disregard for the consequences for himself shows his undying determination to defend and avenge his comrades. In composing famous scenes that shock audiences, Yoshihiro Togashi is a genius who defies our assumptions about storylines or character studies.

Along the way, he leaves a trail of clues in the story to hint at subversion. The tone of the entire series and Isaac Netero’s darker arc are great examples. However, Gon is the best illustration. His modesty has led to criticism that he is sometimes an unremarkable or underwhelming protagonist. If we compare her to the nuanced characters in the series, complexity sometimes prevails, and simplicity is not bad as long as it is varied.

Contrasting Views between Gon and Killua

Gon’s uncomplicated outlook forays into dark worlds like Hunter x Hunter can result in a hypocritical morality. With that said lots of great storytelling. Although Gon is usually friendly, compassionate, and honest, his honesty is endearing. He serves as Killua Zoldyck’s savior. One of the most moving scenes in the series is when he chooses not to know his mother’s real identity because of his love for Mito Freecss.

Gon is a genuine subversion of the traditional happy-go-lucky shounen protagonist because, while at heart, he is an unsophisticated young man, there is a dark side to him due to his simplicity. Gon’s views are different from his closest friend, Killua. His dark history as an assassin influences Killua’s ideology. Unlike Gon, his curiosity, innocence, and personal goals motivate him.

Killua is more practical and careful, prioritizing his survival and the safety of those he loves. Compared to Gon, who is more impulsive and emotionally motivated, he tends to approach things more strategically. Throughout the series, Gon embarks on a journey of self-discovery. He tried to understand his potential, talent, and constraints. As a result of the adventure, he must reevaluate his principles and views, which forces him to face uncomfortable realities about himself and the wider world.

Transcending Ordinary Morality

Gon is a wonderful and loving young man. However, he can also be selfish, contradictory, hypocritical, and immoral. The Chimera Ant Arc is the most obvious place. However, subtle clues throughout the series are also tricky to miss once we start looking for them. In Gon’s ideology, the series begins a new chapter with the arc. When he encounters a sad incident involving the Chimera Ant, he neglects the safety of others and even risks his own life because of his obsessive desire to seek revenge against Pitou.

It reveals the more sinister aspects of Gon’s personality and shows how his feelings can transcend his ordinary sense of morality. Initially, the desire to find his father, Ging Freecss, motivates Gon. His sense of justice grows when he deals with different people and circumstances. In an effort to uphold justice and defend the vulnerable, he developed his own moral code.

At times, he blurs the lines between right and wrong because his views of arbitrary justice motivate his emotions. Gon’s loyalty and friendship with Killua is a characteristics that sets their friendship apart. He offers Killua a safe environment and accepts to express himself because he is aware of his troubled past.

Moral Code

We can see Gon’s generosity in accepting Killua as he is and his readiness to support him no matter what. He cared deeply about what was good and evil but not about what was right and wrong. Despite the slight difference, it significantly impacts our main character. Generally, most people who need to be more articulate agree on what is right and wrong. Murder is wrong; acts of charity are usually right.

When an individual experiences culture shock when going elsewhere, there is a subtle difference between right and wrong. However, in essence, it is a moral code that a person instills in themselves due to society’s perception of morality. Although we often confuse right and wrong, good and evil are different. Usually, good and evil are subjective and individual. Since good and evil are ideas based on feelings and beliefs, they often differ from person to person.

However, discussions about his friendship with Killua will wait until later. When it comes to Gon, he is very concerned about good and evil things, but not necessarily correct and wrong. Understanding the main character is entirely different due to the slight differences.

The Shaping of Gon’s Perceptions of Good and Evil

In society, we widely accept conceptions of right and evil; with acts of generosity, we often regard as good, and murder, we always condemn as wrong. Although there may be minor cultural differences in right and wrong, they are ultimately moral codes within humans based on societal conceptions of morality. A person’s opinion about what we can accept or not want influences how they perceive what is good and bad; individuals’ judgments of good and evil and their ideas of right and wrong may often overlap.

However, it is sometimes different. We always have a strong sense of right and wrong, often mixing what people have taught us to be good with what we think is right. If we eliminate notions of right and wrong, a person’s good and bad impressions are based solely on their prejudices. Morally, it is potentially risky and dubious. In Gon’s case, his experiences and upbringing have shaped his perceptions of good and evil.

However, he may not always agree with the ideas of right and wrong that he accepts. When he struggles to follow his moral compass while still trying to do what is right, it gives his character an interesting depth.

Gon’s Selective Consideration

Understanding the differences highlights Gon’s fascinating mind and the intricacies that made him such an interesting protagonist. Regularly, he decides what is right or wrong based on his moral standards. It deviates from conventional morality, and his selfishness motivates him. He only considers what helps him or what fascinates him. He refuses anything that does not or irritates him.

Gon is generally friendly. He was ready to go to great lengths for the people close to him. However, Gon’s inconsistent behavior is his key. Even though he helped the seasick individual on the ship to the Hunter Exam, he did not care if someone else died during the exam. His actions are inconsistent. Soon, Gon’s tenacity and drive begin to show as he fights through the demanding Hunter Exam to find his father.

Like Killua, Leorio Paladiknight, and Kurapika, he developed lasting relationships with the other examinees showing his respect for loyalty and friendship. Gon’s deviant morality is innate and fundamental, only revealed when the stakes are high. The consequences of certain circumstances were severe, and the importance of helping himself and his comrades was front and center.

Loyalty, Empathy, and Sympathy

Gon is less concerned with traditional morals and more about ensuring he and others close to him survive. Personal expenses and personal benefits are important factors for us to consider. Gon places friendship as a high priority and develops strong relationships with everyone he meets. He is loyal to his friends and has great empathy and sympathy for them. Therefore, he will do anything to support and defend the people he cares about.

Gon is much more likely to accept someone’s actions if they help him. On the other hand, he punishes them if they get in his way or prove to be an obstacle. Gon might find the killer’s crimes disgusting and angry if they just sat there quietly. However, if the assassins can approach and negotiate, Gon will most likely ignore their crimes out of curiosity if they provide helpful information regarding Nen.

Because he is too immature to understand that people can have different levels of morality, he blatantly ignores wrongs that someone he knows or has helped him commit. The way he determines whether someone is black or white is very selfish and arbitrary. Such mentality is almost the same as that of a child, which is fitting given Gon’s lack of life experience and narrow-mindedness.

Inquisitive and Fascinated View of the World

One of the most critical aspects of Gon’s character is that he never really experiences the loss or grief he deserves. Undoubtedly, he is naive, curious, and caring about himself and his close acquaintances. Therefore, a person is good if they are attractive and good if they are beneficial to him. When someone is evil, Gon also sees him as evil. When someone was unhelpful or harmful, how they judged each depended on the costs and benefits of acting in that particular state.

Gon’s innocent demeanor is one of his distinguishing qualities. Because of his youth and purity, he has an inquisitive and fascinated view of the world. It allows him to approach problems with an open mind and often come up with surprising solutions. However, such naivety can also be a weakness because he may overlook or underestimate the more unpleasant aspects of reality. Gon’s morals are dubious, and sometimes nothing is at high risk.

He did not judge people’s goodness or badness by their moral character but by whether he liked them. Selfish considerations often confuse such judgments as to whether they will be amusing or practical to him and his close friends. Another critical factor is the need for more experience regarding Gon’s previous weaknesses.

Understanding the Factors Contributing to Gon’s Display of Dark Tendencies

It is reasonable and consistent to conclude that Gon thinks like an undeveloped child entirely. Finally, it is essential to understand each factor to understand why Gon sometimes displays dark tendencies and what causes him to lose control around Pitou. He believed strongly in setting goals and working relentlessly to achieve them, often challenging himself. The narrative shows his ambition to become a Hunter to track down his father and his quest later in life to exact revenge.

If we look at Gon’s actions and reactions throughout the story, the evidence keeps mounting to support him. From the start, Ging, or rather, Ging’s absence, no doubt impacts Gon’s concept of morality. Gon grew up idolizing his father, a man who unknowingly left his son in search of adventure. It may give Gon the mindset to pursue his goals regardless of the outcome. In himself, it may also instill the belief that his needs come first and that what is good is only what he enjoys, without reference to anyone or anything.

Whatever the exact outcome, Ging’s treatment of Gon has an effect and changes his son’s understanding of right and wrong in the world.

Contrast with the Norm

As the story progresses, Gon is not very sympathetic to people outside his group of close friends. The dying crowd brutally surrounds Gon during the Hunter Exam. However, he does not seem worried unless one of his close friends is in danger. While it is customary to care more about leaving the one he loves, Gon’s lack of emotional reaction is surprising. Gon’s fellow Hunter Exam participants did not respond to the deaths during the exam.

However, we can see their need for more responses to each person’s unique parenting style. For example, Killua’s lack of attention is acceptable, considering he grew up in an environment where killing was the norm. On the other hand, Kurapika and Leorio had previously realized and were under the upbringing of the world’s harsh truths. Kurapika’s ideology centers on justice and retribution.

He wanted to exterminate those who killed his relatives and take revenge on them. For the most part, Kurapika’s ideology focuses on getting revenge and preventing others from experiencing similar tragedies. Unlike him, personal goals and feelings motivate Gon. He is ready to risk his pleasure and do whatever it takes to achieve his goal.

Contentment

Meanwhile, death never hit Gon, and they grew up on a slow-moving island where the most thrilling events were catching big fish or encountering rare wild animals. Gon’s attitude towards Tonpa, who openly enjoys sabotaging others and enjoys watching others fail and die during exams, also exhibits an interesting dynamic. With such things, Gon responds differently and still accepts Tonpa as a friend despite his evil deeds.

Gon accepts Tonpa because he does not directly harm his activities and promises to help the group. Despite his faults, Gon accepts Tonpa others because he is cute, helpful, and harmless to Gon and his friends. If Tonpa manages to poison them, Gon’s opinion of him may change. In that case, Gon would see Tonpa as the wrong person. Since the outcome never happened, Gon was content keeping Tonpa and, as a result of repeated exposure, even started to form a bond with him.

Throughout the story, Gon continues to have odd, perhaps bordering on evil behavior. For example, during the tag challenge, Ponzu helped Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika escape from a cave full of snakes. Gon conveyed his words by bringing her out of the cave.

Moral Ambiguity of Gon’s Actions

However, he left her defenseless and unconscious in a dangerous forest of armed criminals. Leorio might need to be more qualified than Ponzu to become a Hunter. However, Ponzu was past her usefulness and was separate from Gon’s inner circle. So even if she appreciates his actions, he does not care what happens to her. Morally, it is clear that Gon’s actions under such circumstances are dubious.

During the last part of the Hunter Exam, Gon and Leorio get involved in a gambling contest. Gon defends Leorio and demands fair play when he learns his opponent is cheating. Gon’s sense of justice and readiness to defend his friends shows his compassion. Unlike Gon’s ideology, a deep desire to help people drives Leorio. Leorio uses his skills to help those in need and hopes to one day become a doctor.

Leorio’s ideology emphasizes charity and having a beneficial impact on society, while Gon’s philosophy concentrates on individual development and self-discovery. He often acts as the group’s voice of compassion and reason. After bringing her out of the cave with many snakes, Gon did not care for Ponzu’s safety. It makes her helpless in dangerous situations.

Highlighting Gon’s Inconsistency and Hypocrisy

On the other hand, Gon goes the extra mile to ensure that someone pays Zepile for his help at the Yorknew auction. The stakes involved are where the fundamental difference lies in such two cases. Therefore, Ponzu’s safety is not Gon’s primary concern. On the other hand, Gon chooses to put his goals above Ponzu’s well-being because doing so would incur a much greater personal cost.

Whether Gon likes someone or has an emotional interest in their behavior affects his judgment of that person’s behavior. Despite his moral character, Zepile admits that whatever drives Gon’s tendencies are as excellent as it is dangerous. It hints at a more sinister side to Gon’s personality. The Yorknew Arc Emphasizes his inconsistency and hypocrisy. When Gon reprimands Nobunaga Hazama, he catches the irony of his character in his own words.

At first, Gon forgives the Phantom Troupe’s antics, thinking them emotionless. However, Gon is scared and accuses them after seeing their sorrow at losing one of them. He wondered how they could experience suffering and sorrow for themselves while ignoring the lives they had taken. His tendency reveals Gon’s inconsistent moral reasoning to respond emotionally and selectively to various circumstances.

Prioritizing the Welfare of Loved Ones

Gon’s morality is based on the people he loves. Most of the time, he put their welfare before the lives of others. He questions how the Phantom Troupe can slaughter people who have nothing to do with them while crying over their loss. In such a way of thinking, he acknowledged the hypocrisy. He ignores the fact that he also shows these tendencies. Chronologically, the storyline of Greed Island shows Gon’s selfish principles and conflicts.

Gon and Killua are assigned to fight Binolt, a bounty hunter who is a mass murderer and cannibal, as part of their training with Biscuit Krueger. Despite his evil deeds, Gon shows kindness and respect to Binolt. Instead, Gon is angry at Nobunaga and the Phantom Troupe. The way they influence Gon makes a big difference in the outlook. Gon’s naivety and firm belief in his friends emerge throughout the storyline.

He would never admit that his friend Killua would abandon him in the face of evidence to the contrary. In the end, a firm belief in his friends resulted in the healing of their relationship. Gon’s own words reveal how he thinks. He likes Binolt because he has helped him and Killua by educating them and advancing their cause.

Highlighting the Evil Surrounding Gon

Gon, the “bad guy,” likes the benefits he gets from hanging out with Binolt. Instead, he hates Nobunaga because he kidnapped them and is out to get Kurapika. Gon acknowledges many of Phantom Troupe’s deaths but humiliates them differently than Binolt’s murders. Before deciding whether someone is good or bad, he considers how they affect him and his friends individually. Even worse than Nobunaga, Gon likes Binolt because he is practical.

Gon is more sympathetic towards the Phantom Troupe’s murders because they directly affect his associates than those not affiliated with him. Until his distorted moral ideals permit him, Gon has a very pure nature. As Biscuit points out, his own experiences motivated his evaluation of others rather than a dispassionate sense of right and evil. It highlights how his innocence and selfishness have shaped his narrow thinking and moral standards.

It is unsettling that Gon did not react when Baro, a low-ranking Chimera Ant, was killed. Gon did not think twice, even though it was the first time he had killed a life. The disregard for such murder emphasizes the evil surrounding him and makes his morals all the more nuanced. Several factors come into play as we approach the famous battle with Pitou, the climax of the darkness that Gon develops.

Dual Morality

Once again, the high stakes of such circumstances highlight Gon’s dual morality. Initially, anger at the thought that Pitou might be lying to him turns into a ridiculous and uncontrolled rage. Enraged, he attacked Pitou, even pleading and demanding something. During the confrontation, Gon only has eyes for Komugi, a blind girl who excels at Gungi, because he sees her as a valuable negotiating tool to help him achieve his goals.

Here, Gon shows the trait he hates: someone ready to sacrifice innocent people’s lives to further his own goals. It is similar to his earlier criticism of Pitou and Nobunaga for their contempt for innocent lives. The complexity of Gon’s feelings and his deviant nature of morality begin to be revealed from his difficulty in accepting the notion that Pitou killed Kite. However, he cares about other people.

At the start of the series, Gon and Kite encounter a wild fox bear cub in the forest. In a calm but non-threatening tone, Gon approaches the cub, winning his trust despite the cub’s initial hostile behavior. He shows his sensitivity even to species he is not domesticated and potentially lethal by refusing to kill the cub and helping it return to its mother.

Struggle in Navigating Morally Ambiguous Situations

During the Chimera Ant arc, Gon’s character changed to the dark, and the contradictory side of his morality became apparent. Even at the expense of others, it shows how selfish he is and how far he will further his interests. Regarding Gon’s mentality and moral views in the Chimera Ant arc, his perspective is naïve and black-and-white about the world. Morally, Gon finds it difficult to negotiate challenging circumstances.

When he faced the gray area, he struggled and felt out of his element. Parts of Gon’s psychology appear in one moving line of the narrative. After observing Killua keeping his cool in high-stress situations, Gon remarks that Killua is easy because he has nothing to do with him. The phrase encapsulates Gon’s entire mentality and shows that, according to him, it is challenging to take care of other people’s lives if they are not close to him.

It is reminiscent of his previous feud with the Phantom Troupe when he criticized their indifference to the lives of strangers while simultaneously justifying his indiscretions towards those he did not know well. The difference between Gon and some of the villains in the story is that he is willing to kill Komugi to achieve his goals.

Sense of Morality

Currently, he was more concerned with using Komugi as a negotiating tool than taking care of her. When he remembers that he needs Pitou to bring Kite back, he refrains from cold-blooded killing and only allows Pitou to heal Komugi. It illustrates that rather than stemming from more comprehensive conceptions of right and evil, Gon’s sense of morality stems from his notions of good and evil.

In the Chimera Ant arc, Gon develops a surprising friendship with Komugi. Even though they are enemies and are put in a risky scenario because she confesses her purity and love for the game, Gon grows to care for Komugi. Despite the limitations of their situation, he treats her well, provides her with food, and shows genuine appreciation for her abilities. However, Gon has never suffered a significant loss.

His tendency to be an optimist and his belief that all will work out vanished when our survival was put aside. If we look from the point of view, the response is more we can understand. The Chimera Ant arc explores topics of perspective, morality, and its relationship to human depravity as a whole. Gon’s violent actions and moral inconsistency support the view, which also illustrates the depth of his character.

Absence of Solid Principles

Gon is so secretive that he does not care what happens in the castle or the fate of humanity. He did not take into account the fact that he still had his friends. He only cared about getting revenge. Other than that, he did not care about human life at all. The cycle has now come full circle: a young man who once tried to persuade Kurapika not to give in to his darkness has now succumbed to his darkness.

In retrospect, Gon appears unsteady and maybe even a little insane. However, we must stress that it was a deliberate choice by Togashi. Gon does not have any fundamental weaknesses. He just behaved like an innocent child. Gon and the kids generally enjoy learning, have a limited perspective, and are entitled, forgetful, yet playful. They do not have solid principles and believe that the world is easy.

Ultimately, they do not care about morals or alternative viewpoints as long as they are satisfied. Gon is just a kid with all the qualities. However, the idea is rare in anime, especially shounen anime. Togashi has built a complex and slightly sinister character by giving his character a childish optimism that makes him think the universe will follow his path.

The Intriguing and Relatable Nature

Togashi also demonstrates his skill in the trade by making him a true youth. He developed the character from a straightforward yet realistic premise, threw it into a challenging fictional environment, and then went with it. Gon is not a bad guy, but the series allows for the most apparent little contrast between the perfect shounen protagonist and the genuine young man Gon.

Hunter x Hunter most likely ends as a narrative without a clear protagonist. Currently, Gon bears little resemblance to the protagonist of the narrative. He is only in a dispute when there is a benefit to him or his closest people. He is not interested in advancing humanity or defending the planet: thus, his interests only motivate him. Gon is an exciting yet relatable character for us to follow because, in a genre full of optimism, his motivation is selfish.

Bibliography

Calxylian

The Nuances of Good and Evil: Gon Freecss’ Moral Code