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.
I like this, personally though I do think the PT are interesting characters but I can never truly like them to the extent of wanting them to survive the DC, [spoiler below] Hisoka, or Kurapika.
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...
TheseBahamianCartoons you mean before he dies. I've kinda given up on Hunter x Hunter it's never gonna finish dispute it being one of the most popular manga. He should give it to an assisnt and make better quality chapters but it is still my favorite anime
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.
no he's not; gon and hisoka would never want a fault win like that; we can even see that when gon and the othrs were fighting razor,even razor could know the type of person he was frm the fight thy had,but at the end gon passed out but hisoka took the ball for him and claimed total victory because he knew that is what gon wants and whn when hisoka and chrollo were fightig he let him choose the place even though he was too overconfident and didn't thnk of the possibility tht he could lose(although the only reason he lose was because thousands of people attacked him and chrollo kind of cheated even though it was his power) but evn still hisoka lost fairly and didn't thnk of a cunning backup plan like netero
DenGaming18 the only reason netero use the bomb was because of humanity survival, in normal circonstances he wouldn't use such a bomb to beat an opponent.
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.
Bobby Zamora I actually don't think Hisoka is all that malicious. In his origin one shot we see him unsatisfied and able to excel non combat activities like juggling, but it means nothing to him - he's left unfulfilled. And unlike his nen teacher Hisoka doesn't enjoy killing, well, not in a general sense. Rather he enjoys the process of combating the strongest opponents. He doesn't go around clown murdering random people even though it'd be trivially easy. I think because of his exceptional talent both physically and with nen Struggling isn't a common occurrence, but it is one that Hisoka derives pleasure from. In the greed island dodge ball game Hisoka doesn't kill anyone but the act of being confronted with a challenge and overcoming it still left him more satisfied than he was. This is also why Hisoka only cares for the strongest opponents, if it's not a challenge it's no good. If it weren't for the circumstance of a life and death battle both being way towards the top of the struggle is real pyramid And it naturally resulting in death, I doubt Hisoka would bother killing nearly as many people. With the phantom troupe perhaps even more than wanting to fight most members it's as if Hisoka just sees their deaths as the most agreeable means to get Chrollo to fight him seriously again.
I like your opinion, but I contradict your statement on Gon being selfish. He puts his goals before others, he does not necessarily live for anyone else. As a teenage boy, his state of mind is reasonable, and as a teenager myself, I understand his "I come first" mindset. Togashi puts a sense of realism in Gon's character in that way. His final goal was to become a hunter, find ging, and understand why Ging wanted to become a Hunter. Worrying about every little character in the Hunter X Hunter Universe will not help him succeed that. Wow, to be able to have a discussion like this is truly amazing.
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.
Tyrique Smith hold on you may actually be onto something. i love the idea that hisoka is just Fucked Up In The Head but i enjoy theories like this where he has a reason
aliyah nicole I theorized that hisoka was raped or at least abused as a child as well . One is he doesn't care about anything morally especially regarding his sexuality , particularly young boys ( see greed island scene ) . He's also the same type of nen as killua and let me say this first that this theory has very little solid evidence but let me just get this out there . For a Nen type transmuter one must come into a lot of contact with their "element" , like Bisky said it was truly sad that killua was so skilled at his age , this means that hisoka might have had a lot of contact with " rubber " in his childhood/teens/early adulthood cause he isn't that old maybe a few years older than leorio . Basically I'm saying he might have had to use his body at a young age , I really don't want to say more but it just makes an uncomfortable amount of sense unless you bring up the age in which he learned nen and became proficient as a transmuter there's not any major plot holes .
Haven't you guys read Hisoka's backstory? I mean sure your theory could still work but and in fact may work even better but please read it if you have these kind of theorys
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.
True, and the flip side of that is obvious when you look at his siblings. So starved of attention and affection to one degree or another that they lean on killing as a crutch, a tool for selfish means or a way to express themselves.
@@Aleczandxr they might lean on it like a crutch because that is the only way for them to get that attention. Similar to Mike Tyson when he was young or azula from avatar the last Airbender. That was the only way for them to feel loved and like they have a purpose was to be used as a weapon, a tool for a purpose, destruction. Sorry this comment is like a year old it just gave me the idea to put that conclusion together.
I think Killua is the way he is, because of his grandfather, when you look at Zeno, you can tell that he would probably choose a different life, he doesn't kill for pleasure or things like that, in fact he would feel terrible if he end up killing an innocent, his reaction is very similar to Killua's when he saw Komugi (Gon on the other hand, he was willing to fight for revenge, I think Gon's personality is closer to Kurapica than Hisoka
@@JV-zl1ig I think you're giving Zeno a bit too much credit. His mindset was "I was sloppy on a job," and a rather important job at that. That's a product of his upbringing, things were... not easier, but more straightforward back then because there was only the job when Zeno was growing up. But as seen with both Kil and Milluki, they were given luxury items, like joy stations, and computers. So, the time period also matters, not to say both periods didn't have their pros and cons, they're just different. Curious side note: If Zeno was a sibling along with Killua, would Zeno have followed Killua back in the exam, or maybe stayed home, but helped him with Alluka when that arc came around? Meanwhile, Kalluto, who resembles his mother, only desired to get Killua back, for the simple reasons of family interest, and brotherly love. So, that brings me back to the question, "What's going on in Kalluto's head?"" XD Genuinely interested though. I would like more focus on that kid.
@@genxgen1368 I think it's hard to assume the type of lifestyle Zeno had when he was a child, however in each generation, people tend to go easier with their children and grandchildren, let's say, if Zeno would have escaped like Killua did when he was a child, the consequences probably would have been more severe, that's why milluki told Zeno that he was too soft with Killua, maybe he identifies himself with kil, apart from that, I think tsubone remarked that illumi reminded her of his mother, probably saying that his type of cruelty is not as common on the zoldyck family line (they still assassins thought XD)
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.
More examples of this behavior can be seen in the election ark wen Hisoka ponders about killing Kilua to mess whit Ilumi or to kill Aluka to mess whit Kilua.
Nice. Combat is indeed an umbrella term - however, I explained in past videos what I mean by "combat" so I didn't want to elaborate on it or it would've been redundant. Very well put, mind.
Space Man It is a combination of both for Hisoka, because if he only cared about the exctinction of life and potential, he would have killed Gon already.
Sure Hisoka loves a good fight, and spares a number of characters so they can become stronger before he kills em, Gon included, but you can clearly see fighting is not his primary motivation in the end. Look at his fight whit Chrollo for example, he pestered the guy for years to fight whit him to the death, lost,died, came back to life, and them decided to kill the spiders one by one because he is a sore loser, he never wanted to fight Chrollo, he wanted to kill him, and once he saw it would be impossible even for him to defeat the guy he started killing his friends to weaken him both mentally and power wise. And if you look back at Hisoka history in the manga whit this in mind, maybe he did not spare Gon for his potential of strength, but rather his potential of life, as Gon has show how he can make friends extremely fast and is generally well liked by anyone he meets whit, perhaps Hisoka saw this potential in Gon and spared him only to kill him later wen his life mattered more to himself and other people, lets not forget how Hisoka takes great pleasure from killing those seeking revenge against him.
Fernando Gonçalves Hisoka has shown zero interest in death or killing as a primary motive, his interest has always been people's potential as shown in his toy box. This also shows in his fighting style, he almost always gives his opponent the upper hand and lets them put all their cards on the table. He gets high on being able to read all their moves and being able to outplan them. Of course this ended up biting him in the ass when he allowed Kuroro to power up, choose the location of the fight and basically dictate all the rules of their fight. Hisoka post death is now different, i think this is only time he experienced defeat. I think he was too arrogant and believed that he could always out-smart and out-fight other people as seen when he was provoking netero himself. He didnt care about difference in aura or experience, he thought none of this matters in a nen fight and instead he thought it's always a skill fight and that he is skilled more than everyone. Now he knows that there is more to a fight than just skill, he knows that prior preperation can close even the biggest gaps in skills and therefore he changed hia way. Maybe he is a sore loser but we will have to see how far he is willing to go with this new method. Cuz i dont believe he will continue to sneak on people. This is no fun way for a character like him
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.
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.
That's nice of you to say! I'm a student with a minor in Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour under my belt, and that tends to come in handy with these once in a while.
Aleczandxr Honestly, how you are able to analyze so well. As someone who enjoys the little intricacies, I'm curious to know how you are able to dissect works like this. Also considering that I enjoy writing for the fun of it from time to time, I'd like to know not only how to are able to come to these conclusions, but how you think the author is able to set these things up. What separates the authors who write a book from those who build an entire universe, with every little mechanism falling in place? Thanks for such a great video!
+Pelham K I appreciate the kind words! That's.. quite a broad and open-ended question, haha. But I'll just say that it takes a lot of thinking and reflection more than anything else. Drawing parallels to other instances in the story and the writer's other works to make sure that I'm not full of it. But it also must be said that there's a chance that I'm just completely filling these videos with pure theory and Togashi didn't think of any of it. There's always a risk of that.
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.
I totally agree, there's always that chance because of the fine lines that seperate them. With Gon in this sensitive state, trauma (worse than losing Kite) could be really detrimental to him.
Jumpnit I think Gon would have killed himself if that were to happen, similar to what happen with Kite and Gon cared about Kite more than Killua in chimera ant arc.
"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.)
The more I think about Gon and Hisoka's character, the more I think of Togashi reading DB in the 90's and thinking "This character is so ridiculous! All he wants is to get stronger and beat stronger opponents? Why? This is madness!"
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.
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.
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 ^_^
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.
Yep. Togashi has always been one to emphasis environmental impact on his characters. Though it must be said that he doesn't shy away from the "true nature" aspect of humanity either.
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 :)
Noting to thank, if anything I have to thank you :) And maybe I can throw in an idea for a video. How about discussing a potential ending for HxH, and maybe give thoughts on how it will end, who will have which faith in the end (eg. I heard some people saying they see Kurapika dying in the end, or Leorio might as well just leave the Zodiacs and become a doctor, or will Gon have his final showdown with Hisoka etc.)? I don't know tho if there would be enough content for a video.
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.
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!
I truly appreciate it, friend. Comments like this mean so much. Thanks so much for the support, I hope that I can continue to entertain you through these vids.
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!
I can't say I agree entirely. Gon is perfectly capable of being chill and Hisoka goes hardcore plenty of times throughout the series. In terms of emotions and motivations though, this is true. And it's the basis for this video.
Aleczandxr well what I meant is that Gon gets really fixated on his goals, and he gets really frustrated when things don't go his way. Hisoka on the other hand never got really frustrated. I wonder if this could be related to self esteem.
Yeah,. I think it has to do with maturity as well. Gon is very set in his ways and doesn't know how to handle failure that well. Hisoka is much more fluid and dynamic. He can adapt far better so he doesn't usually panic.
Aleczandxr i have this meta theory, that Gon actually considers himself to be the main character/shonen protagonist and feels obliged to have this grand journey full of adventures. If that were true, he would want his antagonist to be this epic big bad evil like Sauron or original Meruem even, who would oppose him to achieve their epic world domination. Insead he gets this sticky, sexually charged psycho who sees him as a bonus to his life :D
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
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.
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.
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.
Thank you. It's an interesting opinion that you hold of Hisoka there. As I said, he's probably the way he is due to some sort of compensation. But interesting that you think that he's got some genuine care and compassion in him. I don't really think the same but it'd be intriguing to see how Togashi were to go about it if that were the case.
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?
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!
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
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 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 remember while watching Hunterxhunter I noticed that Hisoka and Gon seemed kind of similar. This video helped me understand my thoughts much more clearly.
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.
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".)
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.
Ahhh hell ya another Aleczandxr video, I just moved into a new apartment been a hell of a move now I am relaxing and this just made my day. Keep up the good work man you are growing and deserve it.
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.
Cheers Darrius, always nice to hear from you. Regarding your last part - I haven't seen Utena, actually, so not much I can do there, haha. People tend to forget that I'm still very wet behind the ears when it comes to anime and I really haven't seen that much. I did like Penguindrum though, so I plan to check out Utena for sure.
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.
Spencer Whiteway I really like this idea. Underrated comment!
Damn..this comment was good..
I like this, personally though I do think the PT are interesting characters but I can never truly like them to the extent of wanting them to survive the DC, [spoiler below]
Hisoka, or Kurapika.
Well Vegeta in Super is acting for forgiveness in the latest arc about Namik
Wow! That was a brilliant analysis. Never would have thought of that. That actually is a good theory on his character. He is similar to a lot of fans.
Sexually charged psycho clown is one of my favorite characters
Manser from what anime?
GO! Go! Zeppeli! *Facepalm*
oh he meant hisoka o.O.........facepalming myself so hard right now lol....
Manser Hisoka is my favorite anime character. I love how crazy he is and also how intelligent he is.
Sounds like a pokemon haha.
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...
thank you. watch hunter hunter guys togashi is god.
The Gon Vs Hiska rematch...hopefully i see that fight before i have Grandkids
TheseBahamianCartoons you mean before he dies. I've kinda given up on Hunter x Hunter it's never gonna finish dispute it being one of the most popular manga. He should give it to an assisnt and make better quality chapters but it is still my favorite anime
Guys its returning this year , it's not an undefinet hiatus like always just wait for the next issue to tell us when its continuing
Zine Mégathérium when is it scheduled to come back?
He's searching for illustrators.
@@zinekaizerzen-pokemonunite1390 Lol ha. Funny
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
Urban Rode Theyre more like explorers
I feel like an idiot for not realizing that
It's all about perspective.
Yeah. They're ALL immoral. The only clean one is Leorio.
@blazinho Leorio did threaten to push an unconscious man down a pit and tried to attack an old lady.
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.
I definitely agree, Netero is cut from the same cloth as well.
no he's not; gon and hisoka would never want a fault win like that; we can even see that when gon and the othrs were fighting razor,even razor could know the type of person he was frm the fight thy had,but at the end gon passed out but hisoka took the ball for him and claimed total victory because he knew that is what gon wants and whn when hisoka and chrollo were fightig he let him choose the place even though he was too overconfident and didn't thnk of the possibility tht he could lose(although the only reason he lose was because thousands of people attacked him and chrollo kind of cheated even though it was his power) but evn still hisoka lost fairly and didn't thnk of a cunning backup plan like netero
d ace ummm what about when gon went all out and almost killed himself? That was kind of a fault win.
Bob Jackson no it wasn't cause thats his power duhh(of course not his nrmal power)but he was even willing to sacrifice everything for it
DenGaming18 the only reason netero use the bomb was because of humanity survival, in normal circonstances he wouldn't use such a bomb to beat an opponent.
"... it's possible Hisoka sees some of himself in Gon". Hisoka sees 9 inches of himself in Gon.
Ayy
Touche 0_o
MergimIF oddly specific measurement
In that case call the police
Standey Joseph don't ask
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.
Bobby Zamora Yo, why is the pinned comment not showing up on top of the comment section?
Bobby Zamora There is a hisoka backstory written by ishida
Bobby Zamora I actually don't think Hisoka is all that malicious. In his origin one shot we see him unsatisfied and able to excel non combat activities like juggling, but it means nothing to him - he's left unfulfilled. And unlike his nen teacher Hisoka doesn't enjoy killing, well, not in a general sense. Rather he enjoys the process of combating the strongest opponents. He doesn't go around clown murdering random people even though it'd be trivially easy. I think because of his exceptional talent both physically and with nen Struggling isn't a common occurrence, but it is one that Hisoka derives pleasure from. In the greed island dodge ball game Hisoka doesn't kill anyone but the act of being confronted with a challenge and overcoming it still left him more satisfied than he was. This is also why Hisoka only cares for the strongest opponents, if it's not a challenge it's no good. If it weren't for the circumstance of a life and death battle both being way towards the top of the struggle is real pyramid And it naturally resulting in death, I doubt Hisoka would bother killing nearly as many people. With the phantom troupe perhaps even more than wanting to fight most members it's as if Hisoka just sees their deaths as the most agreeable means to get Chrollo to fight him seriously again.
I like your opinion, but I contradict your statement on Gon being selfish. He puts his goals before others, he does not necessarily live for anyone else. As a teenage boy, his state of mind is reasonable, and as a teenager myself, I understand his "I come first" mindset. Togashi puts a sense of realism in Gon's character in that way. His final goal was to become a hunter, find ging, and understand why Ging wanted to become a Hunter. Worrying about every little character in the Hunter X Hunter Universe will not help him succeed that. Wow, to be able to have a discussion like this is truly amazing.
+Shisseki Is your point that Gon's self-interest is understandable? Or that he isn't selfish?
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
Much appreciated! I'm not positive about the second idea at the moment but I'll definitely be doing a Chrollo one quite soon.
that's a shame. would've loved to hear your thoughts about the nen system.
Only swagkage can that you are good
Dissect the Ramen Guy
Swagkage he's swagkage certified
*"He sees some of himself in him."* I bet he does....*shudders*
Yikes.
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.
Tyrique Smith hold on you may actually be onto something. i love the idea that hisoka is just Fucked Up In The Head but i enjoy theories like this where he has a reason
aliyah nicole
I theorized that hisoka was raped or at least abused as a child as well . One is he doesn't care about anything morally especially regarding his sexuality , particularly young boys ( see greed island scene ) . He's also the same type of nen as killua and let me say this first that this theory has very little solid evidence but let me just get this out there . For a Nen type transmuter one must come into a lot of contact with their "element" , like Bisky said it was truly sad that killua was so skilled at his age , this means that hisoka might have had a lot of contact with " rubber " in his childhood/teens/early adulthood cause he isn't that old maybe a few years older than leorio .
Basically I'm saying he might have had to use his body at a young age , I really don't want to say more but it just makes an uncomfortable amount of sense unless you bring up the age in which he learned nen and became proficient as a transmuter there's not any major plot holes .
Bronze Italitized he likes that one doctor girl (forgot her name)
Haven't you guys read Hisoka's backstory? I mean sure your theory could still work but and in fact may work even better but please read it if you have these kind of theorys
I just see him as pretty fucked in his head
"Yet not everyone becomes a sexually charged psycho clown" is the best thing I have heard in a long time
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.
True, and the flip side of that is obvious when you look at his siblings. So starved of attention and affection to one degree or another that they lean on killing as a crutch, a tool for selfish means or a way to express themselves.
@@Aleczandxr they might lean on it like a crutch because that is the only way for them to get that attention. Similar to Mike Tyson when he was young or azula from avatar the last Airbender. That was the only way for them to feel loved and like they have a purpose was to be used as a weapon, a tool for a purpose, destruction. Sorry this comment is like a year old it just gave me the idea to put that conclusion together.
I think Killua is the way he is, because of his grandfather, when you look at Zeno, you can tell that he would probably choose a different life, he doesn't kill for pleasure or things like that, in fact he would feel terrible if he end up killing an innocent, his reaction is very similar to Killua's when he saw Komugi (Gon on the other hand, he was willing to fight for revenge, I think Gon's personality is closer to Kurapica than Hisoka
@@JV-zl1ig I think you're giving Zeno a bit too much credit. His mindset was "I was sloppy on a job," and a rather important job at that. That's a product of his upbringing, things were... not easier, but more straightforward back then because there was only the job when Zeno was growing up. But as seen with both Kil and Milluki, they were given luxury items, like joy stations, and computers. So, the time period also matters, not to say both periods didn't have their pros and cons, they're just different.
Curious side note: If Zeno was a sibling along with Killua, would Zeno have followed Killua back in the exam, or maybe stayed home, but helped him with Alluka when that arc came around? Meanwhile, Kalluto, who resembles his mother, only desired to get Killua back, for the simple reasons of family interest, and brotherly love. So, that brings me back to the question, "What's going on in Kalluto's head?"" XD Genuinely interested though. I would like more focus on that kid.
@@genxgen1368 I think it's hard to assume the type of lifestyle Zeno had when he was a child, however in each generation, people tend to go easier with their children and grandchildren, let's say, if Zeno would have escaped like Killua did when he was a child, the consequences probably would have been more severe, that's why milluki told Zeno that he was too soft with Killua, maybe he identifies himself with kil, apart from that, I think tsubone remarked that illumi reminded her of his mother, probably saying that his type of cruelty is not as common on the zoldyck family line (they still assassins thought XD)
wipe your hiatus tears with a new video everyone :(
:'(
Videos like this just reaffirm to me that you're objectively the best content creator on the site.
Jeez. I doubt that but I truly appreciate it. Thanks, Wesley.
Aleczandxr Definitely one of my favorites as well. 💯
Hopefully I'm still alive to see that rematch between Gon and Hisoka.
Great video as always 👌
Thanks! And likewise..
Damian Mccarthy z
Me to
Damian Mccarthy Sad but true
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.
More examples of this behavior can be seen in the election ark wen Hisoka ponders about killing Kilua to mess whit Ilumi or to kill Aluka to mess whit Kilua.
Nice. Combat is indeed an umbrella term - however, I explained in past videos what I mean by "combat" so I didn't want to elaborate on it or it would've been redundant. Very well put, mind.
Space Man It is a combination of both for Hisoka, because if he only cared about the exctinction of life and potential, he would have killed Gon already.
Sure Hisoka loves a good fight, and spares a number of characters so they can become stronger before he kills em, Gon included, but you can clearly see fighting is not his primary motivation in the end.
Look at his fight whit Chrollo for example, he pestered the guy for years to fight whit him to the death, lost,died, came back to life, and them decided to kill the spiders one by one because he is a sore loser, he never wanted to fight Chrollo, he wanted to kill him, and once he saw it would be impossible even for him to defeat the guy he started killing his friends to weaken him both mentally and power wise.
And if you look back at Hisoka history in the manga whit this in mind, maybe he did not spare Gon for his potential of strength, but rather his potential of life, as Gon has show how he can make friends extremely fast and is generally well liked by anyone he meets whit, perhaps Hisoka saw this potential in Gon and spared him only to kill him later wen his life mattered more to himself and other people, lets not forget how Hisoka takes great pleasure from killing those seeking revenge against him.
Fernando Gonçalves Hisoka has shown zero interest in death or killing as a primary motive, his interest has always been people's potential as shown in his toy box. This also shows in his fighting style, he almost always gives his opponent the upper hand and lets them put all their cards on the table. He gets high on being able to read all their moves and being able to outplan them.
Of course this ended up biting him in the ass when he allowed Kuroro to power up, choose the location of the fight and basically dictate all the rules of their fight.
Hisoka post death is now different, i think this is only time he experienced defeat. I think he was too arrogant and believed that he could always out-smart and out-fight other people as seen when he was provoking netero himself. He didnt care about difference in aura or experience, he thought none of this matters in a nen fight and instead he thought it's always a skill fight and that he is skilled more than everyone.
Now he knows that there is more to a fight than just skill, he knows that prior preperation can close even the biggest gaps in skills and therefore he changed hia way. Maybe he is a sore loser but we will have to see how far he is willing to go with this new method. Cuz i dont believe he will continue to sneak on people. This is no fun way for a character like him
Yes! Finally! One of my favorite youtubers finally uploaded again! And it is a Hunter X Hunter video!
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.
I love that quote. So foreboding.
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.
That's nice of you to say! I'm a student with a minor in Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour under my belt, and that tends to come in handy with these once in a while.
Aleczandxr Honestly, how you are able to analyze so well. As someone who enjoys the little intricacies, I'm curious to know how you are able to dissect works like this. Also considering that I enjoy writing for the fun of it from time to time, I'd like to know not only how to are able to come to these conclusions, but how you think the author is able to set these things up. What separates the authors who write a book from those who build an entire universe, with every little mechanism falling in place?
Thanks for such a great video!
+Pelham K I appreciate the kind words! That's.. quite a broad and open-ended question, haha. But I'll just say that it takes a lot of thinking and reflection more than anything else. Drawing parallels to other instances in the story and the writer's other works to make sure that I'm not full of it. But it also must be said that there's a chance that I'm just completely filling these videos with pure theory and Togashi didn't think of any of it. There's always a risk of that.
Aleczandxr Right now I'm taking a philosophy class and I love it. And I plan to take a Psychology class too since it's just as interesting to me.
@@Aleczandxr Well, you're most definitly good at it.
Lack of early emotional human contact is a cause of much of the villainy in the real world
@Etern4l you're so right
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.
I totally agree, there's always that chance because of the fine lines that seperate them. With Gon in this sensitive state, trauma (worse than losing Kite) could be really detrimental to him.
Jumpnit I think Gon would have killed himself if that were to happen, similar to what happen with Kite and Gon cared about Kite more than Killua in chimera ant arc.
Phenomenal video once again! HxH is a masterclass in the human condition, and I definitely noticed this b4, good stuff!!
You keep making videos that I didn't think I'd need, but I did.
Thank god someone is talking about HxH! Something needs to hype me for the new chapters!
Zem Zem its on hiatus
When it comes back XD
When is it coming back?
Do I look like Togashi?
At this point this manga will never finish
"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.)
Anti-Mattering when hisoka said he liked fighting strong opponents;i immediately thought of goku
i was going to say goku too lol
The more I think about Gon and Hisoka's character, the more I think of Togashi reading DB in the 90's and thinking "This character is so ridiculous! All he wants is to get stronger and beat stronger opponents? Why? This is madness!"
Thank you again @Aleczandxr! Another great analysis video ☺️
Thanks for watching!
I'm actually happen that you touched on these people being a product of their environment. Great video you never cease to amaze me.
Rip dragon quest stole togashi from us again.
Valid reason to go on Hiatus tbf
Well, if ya can't beat em, join em
*plays all the dragon quest games*
I played Dragon Quest XI S and I have to say, I get it.
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.
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!
Thanks very much, I had fun with this one!
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.
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 ^_^
Aw, thanks so much!
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.
Yep. Togashi has always been one to emphasis environmental impact on his characters. Though it must be said that he doesn't shy away from the "true nature" aspect of humanity either.
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 :)
Thanks so much! :)
Noting to thank, if anything I have to thank you :)
And maybe I can throw in an idea for a video. How about discussing a potential ending for HxH, and maybe give thoughts on how it will end, who will have which faith in the end (eg. I heard some people saying they see Kurapika dying in the end, or Leorio might as well just leave the Zodiacs and become a doctor, or will Gon have his final showdown with Hisoka etc.)? I don't know tho if there would be enough content for a video.
I love the complexity of your analysis so much I never skip the ads to support you some way
I appreciate that so much, thank you!
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.
agree
Yep, I think Hisoka being who he is "just because" wouldn't quite fit with a series so focused on nurture and environmental circumstances.
Your profile picture is wonderful.
... What's the manga?
Boku no pico
+IcarusAblaze bet
Well, it's time I watch Hunter x Hunter all over again
Magiver77 same
I just got done with my second watch, still cried with exponential frequency as Chimera Ant reached its conclusion
There is no good or evil. Meruem is shaped by his personal experiences. I for one welcome our new insect overlords.
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!
I truly appreciate it, friend. Comments like this mean so much. Thanks so much for the support, I hope that I can continue to entertain you through these vids.
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!
Thanks very much, that's great to hear! Glad you like the Hunter X Hunter videos. I love making them.
Your videos are the highlight of my week ^^ I could hear you talk about Gon, Killua, and HxH all day everyday!!
I'm happy to hear that, thanks so much!
Another wonderful analysis! I love the comparisons between the two characters
They are fundamentally different in the way that Hisoka is chill and Gon is hardcore af.
I can't say I agree entirely. Gon is perfectly capable of being chill and Hisoka goes hardcore plenty of times throughout the series. In terms of emotions and motivations though, this is true. And it's the basis for this video.
Aleczandxr well what I meant is that Gon gets really fixated on his goals, and he gets really frustrated when things don't go his way. Hisoka on the other hand never got really frustrated. I wonder if this could be related to self esteem.
Yeah,. I think it has to do with maturity as well. Gon is very set in his ways and doesn't know how to handle failure that well. Hisoka is much more fluid and dynamic. He can adapt far better so he doesn't usually panic.
Aleczandxr i have this meta theory, that Gon actually considers himself to be the main character/shonen protagonist and feels obliged to have this grand journey full of adventures. If that were true, he would want his antagonist to be this epic big bad evil like Sauron or original Meruem even, who would oppose him to achieve their epic world domination. Insead he gets this sticky, sexually charged psycho who sees him as a bonus to his life :D
Yes! I've been waiting for another ones of your hunterXhunter videos. There my fav
Very insightful, kudos!
"Not everyone becomes a sexually charged murder clown."
...I feel personally attacked. :(
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 didn’t forget to mention it, I just passed it off as assumed knowledge tbh. Maybe I should have, who knows.
I fucking love this channel
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.
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.
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.
Thank you. It's an interesting opinion that you hold of Hisoka there. As I said, he's probably the way he is due to some sort of compensation. But interesting that you think that he's got some genuine care and compassion in him. I don't really think the same but it'd be intriguing to see how Togashi were to go about it if that were the case.
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?
He's a master of his craft.
Always had this thought in the back of my mind, thank you for exploring it more in-depth!
No worries, thanks for watching!
Smh here reading Chapter 390 and falling into a deep depression...
Hiatus X Hiatus
ALEX's Back at it again with The great content #HXHGreatness
Your videos are amazing
Glad you like them!
Thank you oh so much for posting the songs
I legit stopped everything when this popped up in my subscriptions box.
Teach me your reality controlling powers
Great new video. love the character analysis
Thanks!
This video was uploaded on September 1st, in Yorknew City
I always get so hyped when I see your vids Alex keep it up
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
DESTINY.
Aleczandxr XD
Beautifully written! Well done with the creation of this video. :)
Thanks!
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!
Possible DBZA reference?
Daaaamn the Mr. Morj of HxH. So glad I found you
This is why I prefer hisoka as main antagonist to gon because he's like the joker to batman in Anime.
This was really good!
Thanks!
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.
Sorry, but I don't have any interest in making a video like that. Maybe someone else has already done one like it, though! It's a good idea.
you do me right with these Hunter Hunter videos 😍😍😍
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
Very intriguing and thought provoking video. You inspired me! Thank you for sharing :)
Thanks for watching!
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 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.
Many thanks! I appreciate it a ton.
great always ♡ ur vids
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.
I have food, it's poring outside, and your talking about HxH. Hot diggidy daffodil!
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.
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".)
Very intriguing video. Thanks!
Thanks for watching.
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.
Ahhh hell ya another Aleczandxr video, I just moved into a new apartment been a hell of a move now I am relaxing and this just made my day. Keep up the good work man you are growing and deserve it.
Congrats on the move!
Hunter x hunter is on hiatus again
Nathan taquatia It was a nice run but you know a new dragon quest came out.
where is the lie
well that was fast
10 chapters a year is all we get.
Nathan taquatia hiatus x hiatus is on hunter again
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.
Cheers Darrius, always nice to hear from you. Regarding your last part - I haven't seen Utena, actually, so not much I can do there, haha. People tend to forget that I'm still very wet behind the ears when it comes to anime and I really haven't seen that much. I did like Penguindrum though, so I plan to check out Utena for sure.
Yusuke Urameshi from Yu Yu Hakusho also has an obsession with fighting...
this video is great.probably my favorite video of yours
Nice, glad you enjoyed it that much!
"Sexually charged psycho-clown" XDDDDD
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
16:31 though for me some characters deserve title of pure good like Komugi or Melody.
One word for this video "Quality". Your videos are fucking awesome.
Thank you!
Hisoka = parallel of gon
Illumi = parallel of killua
Chrollo = parallel of kurapika
? = Parallel of Leorio
Wao , truly an original and refreshing take on the series . Keep up the good work . Gotta have my fix of HXH videos hahah
Thank you!
Imagine if Gon had lost everyone he loved, he could potentially become like Hisoka in the snap of a finger
Your videos always seem to amaze me
Awesome, thank you!
5:43 Made me choke on my drink xD
Man, you always share a new point of view about this serie that makes it more enjoyable.
As always, nice video ^^
Thanks Albert.
"sexually charged psycho-clown." laught a lung out
and still i love him.
nice video
Thanks.
I never get sick of hearing you talk about morality. Or anything, really. Another excellent video.
Thanks so much :-)
Ilumi x Hisoka video make it happen
Great video as usual. I am really liking this compare and contrast analysis between characters.
Thanks!