I have reached the chimera ant arc in my re-read journey of the manga, and before starting this arc it has occurred to me that the narrator is more present throughout the manga compared to the anime, but that is not what I wanted to highlight.
Killua's inner thoughts being explored by the narrative is a common observation within the fandom, but I have also noticed that Killua's feelings are not only explored through his inner monologues but also by the narrator himself who does not take an active part in the story. The thing is, while the manga explores in a bit more depth Gon's inner thoughts there are still gaps in what is going on from his perspective and the narrator is not filling in those gaps like he does with Killua.
Gon'a emotions are left more up to the audience's interpretation, the story gives us the tools to work with but not the direct answer.
One example is the famous ''Gon, you are light'' scene.
As romantic I find it, I think it is mostly tragic as it is meant to represent hope, specifically naïve hope.
This scene is both beautiful and tragic. It is beautiful because, on one side, we have Killua who is a person who not only has learnt to operate with a grounded reality in mind, but also always considering the worst-case scenario. This is not the kind of life a kid his age should be living, and Gon's optimism is going against all the things Killua has been taught, because hope is not something that anyone should ever abandon, let alone a 13 year old kid.
But on the other hand, it is tragic because Gon's blind optimism will only drive him further to his downfall, as the audience knows that Kite is not alive.
As opposed to Killua, Gon has been presented as an optimistic kid since the start. He challenges the impossible despite being aware that the odds are against him. This can be a normal reaction considering the kind of sheltered environment he grew up in and how things always ended up going his way, so he has no personal experience that shows him that life is not always rainbows and sunshine.
However, at the same time this scene, more than anything, seems to highlight how Gon chooses to deny a reality he does not like. It comes off as naïve and childish at first, but it is no wonder that a child who was abandoned by his dad, so said dad could live his adventurous life in peace, would end up thinking like that. Gon prefers to cast aside any feelings he does not like and alter the reality into a more positive scenario so he won't have to be in touch with his deeper emotions. And this is a big part of the reason why everything crumbles down the moment he finally accepts Kite's death (a death that he denied until the last second that Pitou declared they would kill him).
Now you might think why I believe Gon is actually aware of how tragic things can be, but he just chooses to ignore it.
Reality is he is more grounded than people give him credit for. An example that comes to mind is that during the hunter exam he knew that he had no chance against Hisoka in a real fight, this shows he knows how to assess situations in general.
Another example comes from the caa itself.
While Gon talks about the gap in power between him and Knuckle at the moment, his mind drifts back to Kite.
'' No amount of willpower can overcome this reality''. While this scene might show that Gon is using Kite as his driving force cause he is the main reason he wants to go back to NGL, it is also possible that deep inside he suspects what is Kite's true fate, but the guilt he is feeling won't allow him to manage his emotions.
In the end, the result was that no amount of hope or positive attitude could actually overcome reality as Kite was indeed dead.
BUT PLOT TWIST! Kite is reborn as an chimera ant, which seems to leave a bad impression on some people cause it feels like all the stakes and emotional impact are taken away. However, others (including myself) could argue that the rebirth of Kite and Gon escaping death at last minute is meant to signify a new beginning.
Kite is a key character that greatly inspired Gon in his pursuit of becoming a hunter. Gon has said himself that if it was not for Kite, he would not know if he even wanted to become a hunter. Kite's admiration for Ging deeply impressed Gon to the point he wanted to prove his own worth as a hunter. Kite's admiration for Ging triggered Gon's desire for self-improvement and to demonstrate his individual competence.
Kite as a narrative figure in Gon's story represents the chains that tie his goal to finding Ging. As a result, his death could signify his freedom since it could serve as a metaphor of Gon's goal dying alongside Kite, because not only the loss of Kite causes for guilt to arise, a guilt that makes him feel unable to face Ging, but the connection itself to Ging dies. To me it seems like a metaphor of Gon founding purpose on his own outside of external influence, especially since he also went through a rebirth of his own by escaping death. He was granted a second chance at life where he gets to regain his own agency over his life, a second chance at life given by the person that was always by his side, Killua.
The thing about Killua is not that he only was by Gon's side helping him and guiding him, but he was always so proud and happy to witness Gon's achievements and progress.
While Gon was risking his life to prove himself worthy to a man who he has no memory of and left him behind for his own selfish reasons and refuses to see him, there was already a person who acknowledged him, cared for him and his well-being without asking from him to attain insane standards to feel adequate.
The final obstacle that prevents Gon from forging his own path is the hunt for Ging, which comes to an end when Gon simply happens to be in the same place at the same time as Ging. This is another aspect of the story that might not satisfy a portion of the audience as they might have preferred for Gon to find Ging himself. In my eyes though, this is the last narrative figure needed to bring a conclusion to what seems to be the prologue of Gon's story, so he can be able to start fully anew without anything holding him back.
It is like the story deconstructs Gon's reality and the audience's expectations at the same time, changing that way the course of the story.
Remember the underground King from NGL who was the only chimera ant to keep all his human memories due to his deep malice and pride? The one who set out to forge his own path and did not allow his ant instincts to prevail?
Years ago there was a theory that the story intends for Gyro and Gon to meet, some time later people suggested there was a mistranslation/misunderstanding concerning that part of the story, but whether it was a mistranslation/misunderstanding the truth remains that Togashi mentioned Gon and Gyro together in the total of three sentences, which personally makes me believe that it served a purpose and it is indeed foreshadowing a meeting between the two.
Gyro was a character who was not properly introduced. During the events of the chimera ant arc he was simply mentioned by other characters and the narrator who simply revealed his backstory.
Revealing a backstory for a character we do not even know and who does not play any role during the arc seems like an interesting choice.
Why did Togashi choose to share his backstory only to cast the character aside for the rest of the arc?
I have always found the story of Gyro fascinating, it is a brief story but the way it unfolds it leaves a strong impression, even if with the lack of dialogue or even the lack of clear appearance of the characters featured in the story, as Gyro is presented as an indistinctive shadow throughout the whole sequence.
I am not sure if anyone has explored this idea before, but to me it seems that Gyro is written in a way that serves like a foil to Gon.
Gon was a boy who grew up in a sheltered and kind of isolated environment since he did not have people his age to hang out with and spent most of the time in the forest. It is not an ideal scenario since one might feel alienated from the rest of the world and lonely at such a tender age, but it is not bad in any way.
On the contrary, Gyro was not simply reaised in a place that was not ideal, it was an environment that was completely inappropriate for a kid, in contrast to Gon's case where things might not have been ideal, but it was still suitable for a kid.
The common trait in both cases was that their worlds were small and limited, which caused, in one way or another, for the both of them to have an idolized version of their fathers for different reasons.
Just like Gyro endured his father's abuse because of a false image he had painted of him in his mind, Gon ignored Gings' desire not to meet Gon and the fact that he was abandoned because the idea of becoming a great hunter himself gave him the false impression he could alter a bitter reality.
What is more is that the journey of both Gyro and Gon started at the age of 12.
Another similarity that seems crucial is that neither guys seem to care about their kids.
In both boy's cases they went through a realization that caused the course of their lives to change.
Gon found out that his parents were not dead, but that his father had willingly left him. To Gyro's father, Gyro simply existed, he either brought money or he could simply perish and he would not bat an eye. It was same difference to him. While Ging never did he directly express anything that suggested he would be indifferent to Gon dying, the fact that he did not visit him at the hospital when he was nearly dying, he did not try to help in any way as every other acquaintance of Gon did, left a message behind conveying he does not wish to meet him and made his friends fight his son as if they mean to kill him, could show that he does not particularly take into consideration his well-being that much.
The worlds of both Gon and Gyro have their respective fathers as their center. The impact of their fathers is what determines the actions both characters take further, but unlike Gyro who weaponized his feelings of inadequancy to bring malice to the world, Gon internalized those feelings to push himself forward to the point he almost lost his life.
Both characters can be led by their pride that fuels their stubbornness. In Gon's case, his pride makes him do everything his way so he can feel satisfied, while Gyro's pride prevents him from losing his identity and purpose.
While Gon's pride led him to incidents where he disregarded his safety to prove himself, Gyro's pride allowed him to not lose sight of his goals.
Another thing is that both went through some kind of re-birth. Gyro's re-birth is more like his spirit changing body, an external change, therefore he remained himself which signifies his unwillingness to let go of his ways.
What kind of changes Gon's re-birth awoke in him remains to be seen, however, the story does seem to be heading towards a direction where the end goal of his reset was to equip him with more knowledge and wisdom, an internal change that could alter his spirit and perspective.
Gon is provided with the opportunity to live for himself in a world where Ging is no longer the driving force, unlike in Gyro's case whose behavior takes roots in his history with his dad. Gon can be free from his father's shadow, while Gyro is shackled to his father's ghost.
All these little parallels between them might be intentional, which is why I believe a meeting is meant to happen between them as they mirror each other in a way in which their roots are similar but their choices are different.
Anyways, I felt like yapping more than usual today so I ended up writing a post longer than intended. If anyone read to the end, I am deeply grateful and thank you for your time!
