The story opens with Kite — a student of Ging Freecss — saving young Gon from a fox bear and telling him his father is alive, the spark that sets Gon on his path to becoming a Hunter. Fourteen-year-old Gon then sits the Hunter Exam to track down his father, the legend Ging Freecss, and assembles his core group — Killua Zoldyck, Kurapika, and Leorio. The trials forge their bonds, and Hisoka Morow makes his first appearance.