Hunter x Hunter creator Yoshihiro Togashi got the concept for Gon’s character development from a sports manga. According to the writer, he “envisioned” the main character of his series to be exactly like Ken Kawasaki’s protagonist from Oi! Tonbo.
12-year-old Gon Freecss begins Hunter x Hunter as an aspiring hunter in search of his father, Ging. He takes the Hunter Examination where he meets Killua Zoldick and Kurapika, aspirants who became his close friends, along with his arch-nemesis Hisoka The Clown. Despite his young age, Gon was able to pass the exam after transcending many hurdles in his path.
Gon gets into trouble numerous times because of his naivety and impulsiveness as a kid. As the coming-of-age series progresses, he develops many problem-solving and strategic skills. Togashi failed to base his character similar to Tonbo in Oi! Tonbo in the first chapter but took the latter’s determination as an asset for Gon.
Hunter x Hunter Writer Togashi Yoshihiro Wanted Gon Freecss To Be Similar To Tonbo From Oi! Tonbo
Released in the Weekly Golf Digest magazine, Oi! Tonbo was first published in 2014. The manga’s chapters were compiled into individual tankōbon volumes and the first four volumes were released in 2016. The serialization ended with the release of Volume 47 in November 2023 as per data collected by Anime News Network.
Yoshihiro Togashi is a fan of Ken Kawasaki and Yū Furusawa’s golf manga. When Sakurazaka46 member Yumiko Seki wrote letters to Togashi asking questions about his inspiration behind certain characters, the Hunter x Hunter writer was quick to point out Oi! Tonbo. He revealed that Tonbo was a character he wanted to recreate in Gon Freecss as per an issue of Golf Digest.
“It [Oi! Tonbo] is a manga about golf, but I think you can enjoy it even if you don’t know the rules. The main character, Tonbo, is the kind of person I wanted Gon to be when I first started planning the serialization of Hunter² (sic). It was the ideal image that I failed to realize [give form to] in the first chapter.”
Oi! Tonbo is about Igarashi, a golf player who was disqualified from the sport, moving to the Tokara Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture to start a new life. He meets Tonbo in Hinoshima Island, a female high school student with a talent for golf, and starts training her for a good future in the sport.
While Tonbo struggled with golf rules and techniques at the beginning, Gon Freecss instantly got success in Hunter x Hunter Chapter 1 as he captured Whale Island’s monster fish to get permission to take the Hunter exam. Yoshihiro Togashi wanted Gon to struggle more at the beginning of his manga although the hero got his fair share of problems in the fan-favorite Chimera Ant arc.
Also Read: 8 Times Hunter x Hunter Outclassed One Piece, Naruto and Dragon Ball
Both Hunter x Hunter & Oi! Tonbo Are About To Make A Spectacular Return
Hunter x Hunter’s production had been heavily affected by Yoshihiro Togashi’s constant back pains and other health issues. The series went into almost a three-year hiatus after the release of Chapter 380 in 2019. November 2022 marked the return of HxH but the mangaka has only been able to reach the 400-chapter mark till December.
Even though the release date for Chapter 401, there have been some good developments in the manga. Togashi has started planning the ending to the long-running series that began in 1998. Fans are optimistic that there will be no pauses once the mangaka gets back to writing.
Speaking of Oi! Tonbo, an animation series for the golf manga was announced in May 2023. The teaser revealed that the anime series is set to premiere in the spring season in Japan. Studio OLM will be responsible for the animation production and is going to partner with SMDE for the CG work.
Togashi praised the golf knowledge of Mr. Kawasaki and the illustrations by Furusawa that made the manga a super hit. The mangaka was also fascinated by the depiction of the character backgrounds which compelled the readers to empathize with them.
Also Read: Yoshihiro Togashi Has More than 3 Possible Endings Prepared for Hunter x Hunter
