Killua Zoldyck and Gon Freecss are both extremely capable fighters. But even after so many chapters of the manga, we’ve never seen them face off, barring one brief training session. And now, with Gon having lost his ability to use Nen, a sparring match between our leads is out of the question for now. But that’s what we’ve got theorizing for. We’ve seen both of these young hunters fight for a while now. We’ll take a look back at their past, breaking down their movesets, and thinking this through. We’ll be ignoring as many extrinsic factors as possible: Killua’s weapons, Gon’s mental state, and the specific arena are all not being considered. On pure skill, who wins? Let’s get to it. [How Strong is Gon] .

The Young Hunter is one of the most dangerous combatants in the world of Hunter x Hunter. It’s not something you’d expect from him at a glance: Gon is a friendly kid, and immediately appealing. He’s not some fight-happy type of hero, endlessly striving to grow stronger and beat up more powerful foes. He just wants to help his friends and explore the world. But he’s got raw strength to spare, and when it comes to a fight, you should never underestimate him. Gon is extremely tough: able to take blows head on if he has to. His sheer endurance borders on ridiculous. Even extremely powerful foes have found it difficult to inflict serious damage on Gon. He’s managed to stay in the ring for ten days straight, so wearing him out isn’t an option. He’s also got the raw strength and power to hit back, enough to knock.

Out a pro hunter without even going all out. But more interesting for our purposes is his intellect. Gon has repeatedly shown himself to be very insightful and creative: avoiding straight up fights he’s not able to win. He was able to conceal himself from Hisoka, following behind the murderous hunter even when he was looking for victims. Gon’s not just a brawler; he’s a Hunter, and he fights with his head. He’s capable of strategizing against difficult opponents to the point where he can predict their blows and reinforce his aura at just the right spot. When it comes to a battle, Gon’s perfected a versatile set of abilities. His provides three potent attacks, a short ranged blunt force blow with , a mid range aura-formed slash with , or a long ranged blast with . The only problem.

Is that it takes him some time to “charge up.” Gon didn’t just name this move for Rock, Paper, Scissors – he has to count down before ‘calling’ his attack. This restriction is what gives Jajanken its power; it’s not some optional bit of flair he can ignore when it’s not convenient. Gon has managed to throw a second Rock without the charge, simply calling [Round Two] but it drained his aura much more rapidly. He can’t spam this move time after time or open with a quick attack. Still, this isn’t even close to Gon’s upper limit. But before we start talking about that, make sure you’re subscribed to the channel, have rung the notification button, and hit “like” for your regular dose of Plot Armor. Now, let’s see what the pinnacle of Nen looks like. [Full Power Gon] Gon’s ultimate ability.

Is one we’ve only seen once, and it’s not clear whether it can be replicated. Using it required a very specific Oath, one Gon only made while lost in anger and despair due to the loss of Kite. It also came with serious consequences. After this point, he’s lost all use of Nen, so treating it as a regular ability feels odd. But we’ve seen situations like this before: such as Uryu over in Bleach. If we’re comparing Gon and Killua, it would be wrong to leave this out. Full Power Gon is hard to get an objective feel for. We’ve only seen Gon manifest this ultimate form for one scene after all. We’re going to have to do some extrapolation here. This is Gon at both his physical and mental peak. He’s an enhancer with near untapped potential, so that’s very high indeed. It’s boosted his strength and aura output beyond a doubt..

Killua could tell that just by looking at him. One Jajanken in Full Power is enough to knock a Royal Guard like Neferpitou halfway up a mountain. This put Gon on one of the highest power levels we’ve ever seen in Hunter x Hunter. He legitimately seems comparable to Chairman Netero and Meruem. There shouldn’t be anyone who can really stand up to him in a straight up brawl. However, this isn’t exactly a transformative ability. While Gon has some skill in Transmutation following his training with Biscuit, his focus is Enhancement. Full Power allows Gon to unlock the full potential of his aura, bringing all that potential future development of his life force together for a short time. It's all about himself and his internal energy suggesting it’s more an outgrowth of that Enhancement focus: Gon’s speciality. He’s ludicrously strong in this form,.

And has aura to spare, but that strength doesn’t come with refinement. This fits with Gon’s personality and outlook in general. Even when he’s not pumping out aura like crazy, he’s pretty easy to read, ensuring a skilled opponent can see his moves coming. It’s one of the most potent abilities we’ve ever seen, one that could only grow stronger with additional knowledge on Gon’s part. More training and refinement of his Nen would enable his Full Power form to escalate wildly. But even as things stand, it’s almost impossible to beat. It would take some kind of “master of death” to take down Full Power Gon. And what a coincidence! We know someone who qualifies. [How Strong is Killua] Gon’s companion may not be the main character of.

The anime, but he’s one of the few people who can compete with our lead. Killua’s been trained his whole life for killing, and while he’s chosen to walk a different path, he’s one hell of a fighter. Even Milluki, the brother who hates his guts, can’t deny that potential: calling Killua the [greatest Zoldyck in history]. Given the legendary status of his family, that’s one hell of a title. Killua specializes in weapons based combat, most famously battling with his trademark yo-yos, but more than able to improvise. He can beat people to death with a severed arm! That said, he’s no slouch in unarmed combat. He specializes in maximum damage in the shortest possible amount of time: striking vulnerable spots and using submission holds to take down his opponents quickly. If you want someone who could take down a highly direct, forceful fighter like.

Gon, it’s probably his best friend. When striking his opponents directly is not an option, Killua turns to his Nen. He’s a , specializing in turning his aura into electricity. He doesn’t have the raw power of someone like Gon, but he doesn’t need it. Instead, Killua uses electrical blasts to make his foes reel. They’re not enough to do serious damage, but they’re good distractions: opening up an opponent for a more decisive strike. There’s also [Rhythm Echo], a way to give Killua some stealth when the environment isn’t conducive to his regular fighting style. By moving so quickly, he seems to be in multiple places at once, leaving the opponent unable to determine exactly where he’s really standing. Interestingly, this is not a Nen technique. It’s an outgrowth of Killua’s assassin training, the same sort.

Of controlled movement he showed early on. As perceptive as Gon is to minor flows in Aura, we’ve yet to see him parse through Rhythm Echo. It’s unclear if he could see through this bluff. Even if he can, however, trickery and misdirection aren’t Killua’s only moves. If he’s forced into a straight up fight, he can more than keep up with physically stronger opponents. [Godspeed Killua] Gon isn’t the only one with an ultimate move. This may not be as ridiculously devastating as Full Power Gon, but don’t underestimate Godspeed. Our young Zoldyck is fast beyond belief. His ultimate Nen ability turns his Transmutation focus into something closer to Enhancement. Godspeed's greatly enhanced abilities might make Killua one of the toughest combatants in all of Hunter x Hunter to engage directly. .

Primarily, this comes from the first mode of this power, allows Killua to greatly increase his reaction speed. He can essentially reprogram his own nervous system, transmitting orders to his body directly. This can either allow him to ‘preprogram’ his own responses to a given condition, like removing a dart between it touching his skin and penetrating it. Killua is extremely hard to hit. The less talked about side of Godspeed however is [Speed of Lightning.] This is what Killua uses when trying to traverse a lot of terrain in a short period of time. With this in his pocket, Killua is a lot more deadly than you’d think. The young Zoldyck tends not to use Godspeed’s second mode much in direct combat, and given Whirlwind’s boost to his reaction time, it’s easy to see why. However,.

If he’s engaging a foe that’s dangerous to stay close to, Speed of Lightning is an invaluable power, and Killua has demonstrated great control of his body while in this mode: able to navigate a forest without difficulty. He should be able to close with a foe, strike, then disengage before his opponent can land a counter hit. There’s an issue here, however, and it’s why Killua usually doesn’t use Speed of Lightning in a fight. While this has never been stated, it seems like Killua can’t use both of these applications of Godspeed at the same time. Speed of Lightning requires him to infuse his entire body with electricity to activate: it even gives faint electric shocks to anyone Killua is carrying while he goes. This should conflict with the more targeted use of electricity demanded by Whirlwind. If the Young Zoldyck wants to go all out in speed,.

He has to sacrifice his enhanced reactions. That’s still extremely difficult, his natural reflexes are strong in their own right, but not up to the level set by Whirlwind. If you want to land a hit on Killua, paradoxically forcing him to go faster might be the way to do it. [Gon vs Killua] So pit them up against each other at the top of their game. Gon able to use his Full Power one more time, Killua with Godspeed and the freedom to move. How does that fight play out? Who ultimately wins? It’s tough to say, in part because the two hunters cover one another’s faults nearly perfectly. Gon’s raw strength and aura reserves are unparalleled. Killua’s speed and reflexes are just as impossible to equal. Their attacks and defenses are almost perfectly calculated to cover each other’s.

Blind spots. Fighting together, they should be unbeatable, but when pitted against each other? The first section of the fight will likely prove a stalemate: Killua will be able to dodge Gon’s attacks but be unable to land a sufficiently forceful counterblow. We’ve already established that Gon can reinforce his aura to protect vital spots: almost the perfect counter for Killua’s carefully targeted strikes. And a hold would put him within arms reach of Gon for an extended period, which ensures Killua won’t try that unless he has no other options. A full power Rock risks being a one hit KO for him. That said, the assassin should be in for a win if he can hold Gon back for long enough, if we look at a scenario comparable to the Neferpitou fight. Gon was not able to maintain.

His Full Power form for long: it was based on a binding vow, fuelled by emotion. If he lost this state, it would be an instant defeat: he almost died prior to Nanika’s intervention. But Full Power Gon should be achievable without that specific binding vow. Neferpitou notes that it’s Gon using the sacrifice of life energy to gain more power. Either an alternate vow or extensive training could allow him to better maintain the form. For purposes of our discussion, we’ll assume Gon can maintain this heightened state one way or another. Consider it another nen-focused Enhancement ability, similar to Bill’s . Can Killua keep up with that? Gon’s reserves of energy are near unlimited in his Full Power Form. Without that time limit, Killua’s aura would prove his weak spot. His reserves don’t last long, by his own admission, while Gon’s full.

Capacity is almost unlimited. However, the root of Killua’s nen lies in the ability to transmute his aura into electricity. Given how Gon’s release leads to overflowing energy, Killua should be able to charge himself by simply fighting Gon, changing the released energy into an additional charge. Killua’s already shown himself able to draw on external sources to ‘power up’. This shouldn’t be different from sticking his hand in a socket. This consistent, uncontrolled release gives the young Zoldyck a unique advantage against his friend. The winner will be the one who can pull off a gambit that nullifies their opponent’s defenses. For Gon, that will require an attack that Killua can’t dodge. The disconnection between Whirlwind and Speed of Lightning is Godspeed’s sole weak spot, and Gon’s one of the few fighters who might realize that. Killua can’t retain his.

Perfect reaction time and his super speed: he has to switch between the two, and engaging Whirlwind takes time. If you fake Killua out with a wide blow that requires his full mobility to dodge, you’ll weaken his reaction time to the point where you can potentially land a follow up hit. Gon can, in theory, pull this off. We’ve seen him rapidly cycle between two uses of Jajanken before, circumventing its limitations via round two. That said, he will have to get creative here. Even without Whirlwind, landing a hit on the superfast Killua is far from easy. Beyond that, there’s a second problem. None of Gon’s attacks that we’ve seen so far are wide enough to force the young Zoldyck into relying on his full speed anyway. If he’s going to exploit this weakness, he’ll have to come up with some kind of new move. Destruction of the environment might work:.

Bringing down a building on top of Killua, or starting a rockslide, for example. It would require full speed rather than reaction time to avoid something so all encompassing. If their arena doesn’t allow him to pull a trick like that, we’ll need to see some real progress in Jajanken to pull off this bluff, which should be possible given Future Gon’s mastery of his nen. A blast from Paper that’s too wide for Killua to dodge, for example. A wide enough cut from Scissors might also work, For Killua to win, the young Assassin is going to need to find some way to break through Gon’s nearly impenetrable defenses. This isn’t going to be easy: as cool as Killua’s lightning looks, it’s never been all that destructive. It’s useful for a stun, setting up a bigger attack, but it’s not remotely in the same weight class as.

Jajanken. He’s going to have to come up with something creative to take down his friend. But Killua’s past training should be highly useful for striking a powerful blow like that. By his own admission, he doesn’t want to be an assassin. Most of what we’ve seen of Killua has been him holding back and having fun. Going all out, his potential for lethality goes up dramatically. We’ve seen a taste of this in one fight: his [Snake Awakened] form lets him crush foes with just a sweep of his hand. He lacks Gon’s direct skill at enhancement but can deliver a devastating blow his own way. And that only gets better when you remember he has Godspeed. Killua’s speed, even on unfavorable terrain, is approximately [150 mph] going off of his travel time while carrying Alluka through the forest and trying to avoid Illumi. Assuming he’s able.

To maintain that pace, a blow from Killua should pack the force of an oncoming car. Granted, it should hurt him just as much, but reinforcing his hand via Ken should be enough to allow him to attack relatively safely. [Who Wins? Gon or Killua?] Either combatant could win this fight. Gon and Killua are so evenly matched that any minor factor in the environment could tip the scales. More environments to hide in would help Killua, a limited arena with no room to run away would tip things towards Gon. But without something to bias the fight either way, the winner is most likely . Gon has the tougher task here. Killua’s speed really helps keep him out of close combat. Even if we assume Full Potential Gon can follow Killua once he activates Rhythm Echo,.

He doesn’t have an easy way to keep up. Paper is the weakest of the three Jajanken abilities, due to its reliance on Emission. Even with Gon’s boosted endurance and power, it’s tough to think that he could pull off a blast that Whirlwind couldn’t handle, or a repeated set of rapid fire blasts. Killua’s reaction time is ridiculous: able to relocate in the fraction of a second between a dart penetrating his skin and truly striking him. To pull this off, Gon is going to have to do something extremely impressive with his weakest ability. What’s worse is that Jajanken also requires setup, which Killua can in turn interfere with. Even Round Two is only doable after Gon has used the move once already. Meanwhile, Godspeed ensures Gon doesn’t have any easy ability to interfere with Killua’s fighting style. Enhanced reactions and.

Speed can keep him out of Gon’s range. As strong as he is, the young hunter doesn’t have anything more creative to try and hold his friend back. The one thing keeping Gon in this fight is Killua’s lack of raw strength. Even with the Godspeed aided blow idea, it’s going to be extremely tough to lay him out. Gon’s Full Potential form is tougher than even his baseline self. Unfortunately, without a way to trap Killua or limit his movement, Killua will have multiple attempts at landing such a decisive blow. Given that his style is based around single, overwhelming strikes, he’s one of the few fighters who could manage a blow strong enough. While he hasn’t had to use a blow like that in the course of our story so far, look at his Father’s Power Sphere and Xeno’s Dragon Dive as examples of the force a Zoldyck can.

Bring when they’re trying to kill the target. But hey, what do you think? Is there some way Gon could take Killua down reliably? Share your thoughts in the comments below! Thanks for watching, I’ve been Jack Stansbury. Have an awesome day!