Chapter 178 · The Perfect Chance

00AI-written

In a remote village clearing ringed by tall trees and stilted wooden huts, Gon dashes forward with determination while a kneeling figure in the foreground questions the plan. "USING 'ACCOMPANY'?" the kneeling man exclaims. "I DON'T UNDERSTAND, WHY YOU WANT TO FIGHT SEPARATELY?!" Gon, spiky-haired and focused, thinks to himself, "BUT...MY NEN IS STILL MUCH LESS DEVELOPED." Across from him, a light-haired man smirks and replies, "IN TERMS OF STRENGTH AND FIGHTING ABILITY THIS GUY IS WEAKER THAN ME. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WANT." He adds with a dismissive wave, "WHAT-EVER." A wide panel erupts with impact stars and motion lines as the man declares, "I WON'T BE ABLE TO HURT HIM WITH A NORMAL ATTACK. THAT WILL AFFECT BOTH OFFENSE AND DEFENSE." In the bottom panel the two clash violently; the light-haired man lunges with a powerful stance while Gon is driven back. "FOR ME TO EXPERIMENT!!" the man shouts. "THIS IS THE PERFECT CHANCE ..."

Gonlight-haired man

The fight intensifies with a massive close-up of the light-haired man's furious face crossed by heavy black impact bars as he delivers a crushing blow. Gon is sent flying, hair whipping wildly. In rapid succession the light-haired man follows through with another strike, motion lines streaking across the panel. Gon thinks, "AS I THOUGHT... I'M FINISHED IF HE HITS ME." Close-ups show Gon's eye widening and his head ringing with "Z Z Z" sound effects. He internally notes, "I CAN'T AFFORD TO TAKE IT SLOW. MY BLOCKING LIMBS ARE REACHING THEIR LIMIT. THE PAIN IS MAKING MY HEAD RING." The final panel shows Gon from behind, arms raised defensively as the light-haired man rains down blows amid explosive impact bursts and radiating speed lines.

Gonlight-haired man

A large group of identical spiky-haired figures in matching outfits stands in formation across the arena floor. One figure in the foreground, back turned to the viewer, crouches low with arms extended as if controlling the others. Motion lines streak across the ground. In the next panel a close-up shows the same fighter lunging forward with a fierce expression, shouting “HO!” as a burst of impact erupts from his strike. Beside it, a small panel reveals Killua’s wide-eyed reaction, hair whipping from the force. The bottom panel depicts the muscular fighter raising one arm high while pinning another figure to the ground, declaring “EXPERIMENT NO.1” and “WRONG GUESS.” as the pinned character struggles beneath him.

spiky-haired fighterKilluamultiple identical spiky-haired figures

A high-speed clash erupts between a white-haired fighter and a muscular opponent. Lightning suddenly flashes as the white-haired fighter’s trump card is revealed. The muscular man recoils with a pained “GUH …” while the white-haired fighter crouches low, electricity crackling around his body. A close-up shows the muscular man’s bandaged hand gripping a small, twitching, furry creature. The bottom left panel shows the white-haired fighter kneeling with a dazed expression as the fight’s intensity peaks.

Killuamuscular fighter

Killua thinks to himself that he only stunned the opponent for a few seconds and that it was not enough to knock him out. The spiky-haired man crouches in a fighting stance, sweat flying, and wonders aloud if the kid is hiding a taser in his hand while cursing the damn kid. In a small inset, a hand holds a yo-yo with a tag. The scene shifts to a dramatic full-page spread where Gon stands confidently with his right arm raised, a yo-yo spinning at the end of its string, the words EXPERIMENT NO.2 running vertically beside him. The spiky-haired man lies on the ground below, staring up in shock and exclaiming A YO-YO?

GonKilluaGensuru

Killua notes that there must be some trick to the previous move as well. Gon leaps forward from a standing position, gripping a vertical pole with one hand and declaring I'm coming. In the next panel Gon is shown mid-air with intense focus. The bottom spread shows Gon already on the ground after landing, body blurred by speed, while the yo-yo string creates large black impact lines across the panel. Gensuru is seen in the distance on all fours, recoiling from the attack as debris and motion lines fill the air.

GonKilluaGensuru

The curly-haired fighter recoils with a strained expression as a massive impact erupts nearby. A small spiky-haired boy is hurled backward through the air, limbs flailing amid debris and motion lines. The fighter stares in disbelief at the destruction, sweat visible on his face. In a close-up he shouts about the unknown material that split a huge tree. Below, the fighter is shown from behind on grassy ground while a subordinate in the distance holds a massive ring-shaped weapon. Speech bubbles explain that the ring is forged from a hybrid metal called Aniki and weighs around 50 kilograms.

curly-haired fighterspiky-haired boyring-wielding subordinate

The massive ring hurtles forward with intense speed lines toward the curly-haired fighter. The spiky-haired boy is shown mid-air after being struck. The fighter cries out in pain as the ring slams into him, sending his body twisting violently. The boy lands or continues tumbling from the force. Bold SFX mark the heavy collision and the fighter's pained reactions.

curly-haired fighterspiky-haired boy

Gon stares at his opponent while thinking through his next move. 'IF I CAN GET CLOSE, THE TASER IS NO BIG THREAT. I'LL GET RID OF THE YO-YO FIRST.' The curly-haired fighter launches his yo-yo, its long cord and heavy weight giving it dangerous reach and momentum. Gon notes the man's stance: 'CLOSE RANGE HE HAS THE TASER AND LONG RANGE HE HAS THE YO-YO!! IT HAS ENOUGH POWER TO KNOCK ME BACK... THE WEIGHT AND MOMENTUM MAKE IT A POWERFUL WEAPON.' He spots an opening on the right side. 'WHEN I ATTACK HE LEAVES HIMSELF OPEN ON THE RIGHT SIDE. I'VE ALREADY FOUND HIS WEAKNESS!' Gon dashes forward, closing the distance. 'IF I TAKE AWAY THE YO-YO AND LEAVE HIM UNARMED, HIS WEAKNESS WILL BE EXPOSED!' The curly-haired man swings the yo-yo in a wide arc. Gon ducks under the attack, eyes locked on the weapon. In a sudden clash the yo-yo strikes, sending a burst of impact lines across the panel as Gon grimaces from the hit.

GonGensuru

Gensuru lunges forward with a fierce expression, shouting 'THIS IS MY CHANCE!' as he swings the yo-yo. Gon reacts with surprise, 'OH!' while dodging on the wooden floor. A large fist suddenly fills the foreground with the sound effect 'H-O-O-O-K IT!' Gensuru grabs Gon's arm from behind, yanking him close. 'THERE IT IS!!' he yells triumphantly, the curly hair and muscular arm dominating the panel as Gon is pulled off balance. Trees and a wooden walkway form the background of the outdoor fight area.

GonGensuru

In a fierce mid-air clash, the suited fighter with spiky hair delivers a devastating kick to his opponent, sending the smaller spiky-haired fighter hurtling downward with tremendous force. Motion lines and impact effects emphasize the brutal strike as the suited fighter's leg connects solidly. Below, the smaller fighter crashes into a stone ledge, the impact cracking the surface. A close-up reveals the suited fighter's intense, scarred face twisted in focus. The smaller fighter tumbles away from the ledge as the suited fighter lands and shouts triumphantly, 'EXCELLENT! YOUR RIBS ARE SHATTERED!!' The smaller fighter lets out a pained 'OMPH!' while being knocked back through the air.

GensuruGon

Gensuru glares sideways with a fierce expression, his spiky hair prominent against the rocky backdrop. In the next panel, Gon is shown mid-air near a large tree trunk, arms outstretched, while a masked, bearded fighter also floats nearby with limbs flailing. Below in the foreground, Gon looks upward in surprise. A speech bubble from off-panel or the suited fighter reads, 'DIDN'T I TELL YOU I HAD TWO YO-YOS?' Gon reacts with a startled 'EH?' as the scene reveals the airborne struggle near the tree.

GensuruGonmasked fighter

Gon lies on the ground after the exchange, breathing hard as the muscular opponent looms over him. "You anticipated that last attack...?!" the man exclaims in surprise. "You... just now... pretty much." Gon replies calmly. The opponent presses, "Are you for real? Still conscious? You used your sure can take a beating." He continues analyzing the fight: "That's like giving yourself a blind spot. When you kick you always raise your arm on the other side." In a wide overhead view the opponent realizes the setup. "To attack me with the yo-yo?! He used that blind spot." The man stands over the kneeling Gon and explains further: "It was to lure you into the security of a 'one on one' fight, so you'd be careless about your surroundings. And using 'accompany' to leave your teammates... Losing your first yo-yo was also... Right, because I knew you would try something at me. It was bait for you to kick me. Then your weakness was...?"

GonGensuru

The opponent wipes sweat from his brow, muttering "To set three traps in such a short time... This brat is unbelievable. Just now..." Multiple explosive impacts erupt around him with heavy SFX "ゴゴゴ" and "ドドド". The opponent stares in disbelief at three vertical poles or wires that have appeared. "Just three? Are you joking?" he asks. Every single move Gon made was part of this trap. In the next panel Gon stands holding a taut wire connected to a prone figure on the ground while flame-like energy erupts. The final panel shows a close-up of Gon holding a circular medallion-like object with a star pattern. "Everything was successful. Experiment results," he states calmly. Nearby a small masked figure sits on the ground emitting steam and looking dazed.

GonGensurumasked subordinate

Gon stands battered but defiant, one eye covered by a makeshift patch, his body tense and glowing with aura as he raises his right hand in a determined gesture. "I STILL HAVEN'T LOST!" he shouts. "IT DOESN'T MATTER!" In the distance across a barren field, his opponent turns and declares, "YOU HAVE NO CHANCE OF VICTORY. IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO GIVE UP." Close-ups show Gon's intense glare and the opponent's profile. The opponent extends a hand, stating, "I TAKE BACK WHAT I SAID BEFORE. YOU ARE STRONG. I..." In a dramatic full-page spread, the spiky-haired fighter with glasses points forward, his cloak billowing. "I'LL GIVE YOU GLIMPSE OF MY POWER. THIS IS NOT A BATTLE OF FLESH, BUT A BATTLE OF WILLS!" Large vertical text declares "THE LAST FIGHT IS GON'S! THE BLOOD BATTLE BEGINS!" and Japanese lettering reads "最後はゴン!! 血戦開始!!" The page ends with the Hunter × Hunter logo and "No.178".

GonGensuru

Full-page illustration of Gon in a dynamic fighting pose, one arm extended forward with fist clenched and the other holding a small device, wearing a torn shirt and baggy pants. Large text at the top reads "HUNTER X HUNTER 178". Credits are listed on the left: "QUALITY CHECK: S206", "PROOFREADER: PATH[W]", "RAW PROVIDER: #MANGA-RAWS", "TRANSLATOR: SUSHIJERK", "EDITOR: SHARRY". Bottom text states "BROUGHT TO YOU BY MANGA-SECTION" and "#MANGA-SECTION @ IRC.MIRCX.COM".

Gon

End of chapter16 pages

Discussion

00AI-written

Gonlight-haired man

spiky-haired fighterKilluamultiple identical spiky-haired figures

Killuamuscular fighter

GonKilluaGensuru

curly-haired fighterspiky-haired boyring-wielding subordinate

curly-haired fighterspiky-haired boy

GonGensuru

GensuruGon

GensuruGonmasked fighter

GonGensuru

GonGensurumasked subordinate

GonGensuru

Gon

End of chapter16 pages