When Hunter x Hunter protagonist Gon Freecs starts off his journey to become a hunter, he is a sweet twelve-year-old that follows the shounen protagonist trope down to the T. This has many fans surprised when a trope subversion sees his character arc end with him sacrificing everything for revenge, but though this development takes a sharp turn from who Gon was when first introduced, his descent into darkness was foreshadowed by many subtle elements in the Hunter x Hunter story, and is an overall coherent conclusion to his character’s experiences.