Virus

**Albus Marinus** who came to be known as **Virus** after being kidnapped and brainwashed by Serpentus, was Amanda's father and the leader of The Abyss. After being kidnapped and brainwashed by Serpentus, he was rescued by Team 1. Unfortunately, the brainwashing remained intact and his allegiance had been permanently switched to the side of Serpentus. He is a major villain in the show and battles the protagonists on multiple occasions.

## Appearance

Gon is a young boy with long spiky black green tipped hair and large, hazel brown eyes. His usual outfit is composed of a green jacket with reddish edges covering a black or white tank top underneath, green short shorts, and green, laced boots. In some arcs such as the Greed Island and Chimera Ant arcs he takes off the jacket and wears only the tank top. In the Greed Island arc and at the beginning of the Chimera Ant arc he wears the Paladin's Necklace, a Greed Island card with the ability to purge any external effects to a card the wearer is holding.

## Personality

Gon is an athletic, rustic, and friendly boy who is searching for adventure. Also, he isn't very good at math. However, having spent a lot of time in the woods as a child, he is very good with animals. Gon is an Enhancer, who are known for being simple-minded and determined. This determination and talent leads to both potential allies and potential enemies trusting in him and taking his side. He has inhuman senses; Gon has a heightened sense of smell almost like a dog and has very good vision, as well as having very keen taste. Gon wants to become a Hunter because he wishes to find out the depths of an occupation that would cause a father to choose the profession over being with his own son.

Simultaneously, his flaws lie in his temper and impulsive nature. Gon sometimes fails to think things through and such actions lead to him suffering. Though possessing talent far beyond the norm for his age, anytime his abilities are challenged, he feels as if he has to prove his antagonist wrong. He continually strives to obtain greater power, often becoming exceptionally stronger in his anger. But Gon's anger also leads to extremely reckless tendencies. When his emotions are ignited, Gon becomes irrational and completely oblivious to anything else. While his will is stronger than most and he can be very level-headed, but this clear mind can also make him very cold at times. Even more worrying is the extent to which his simple mindedness colors his perception of those around him. Often it's difficult for others to understand or relate Gon's actions or thoughts to what people would consider "normal" thinking. On more than one occasion the people around Gon have remarked on how he "doesn't care about the good or the bad" with some believing Gon to be a little insane.

Gon is extremely confident in his abilities. Sometimes, he does not realize when the opponent is far stronger or even after he knows the opponent is stronger than him; regardless, he will continue to fight. He refuses to accept himself as inferior to any opponent that he disagrees with, including those clearly stronger than him. Togashi initially portrays this as naïveté. Aside from becoming a Hunter and finding his father, Gon desires strength above all else. Gon's greatest insecurity lies in his own weakness and not being able to protect those close to him.

## Background

Virus was an important member of the Merodes and the North Continent political scene. He was very respected and loved by his family. He was a smart man, often making decisions for the rest of the North Continent.

In addition to his political wisdom, Virus is also a competent fighter, though he would be far more powerful if he made use of his Symbol Power, which he refuses to use because of his morals.

## Plot

### Permission To Train Arc

Virus is first seen when Amanda returns home from the Junior Tournament. He is sitting at the table drinking coffee, while reading a newspaper. He talks to Amanda and listens closely and excitedly to her stories from the Junior Tournament. After Amanda tells him her stories, she asks his permission to train with The Blue Crown Resistance. At this point, he frowns and thinks about it intently. To the butlers' horror, Virus gives her permission. He emphasizes that she must be very careful. He tells her to stick with Cato if there is ever trouble.

That night, while Amanda is sleeping, Virus has a discussion with his two butlers, Belfour and Hannah. Belfour emphasizes his concerns with Amanda joining The Resistance. He says that she has too much to live for at home that could all be lost in order to become a common soldier. Virus holds solid on his stance. He says that he has faith in Cato and that nothing will happen to her.

The next day Amanda packs up her stuff and prepares to depart using the Teleportation Platform. She says her goodbyes to Virus and the butlers and departs.

## Abilities & Powers

At the beginning of the series he had a fishing rod that he could swing with baffling accuracy, even managing to catch Hisoka's tag from afar while the latter was moving at high speed. The fishing rod can also be used as an offensive weapon if the situation ask for it. During the Hunter Exam, Gon was often praised for his powers of observation, agility and stamina. In battle, he think so quickly for an alternative solutions and strategies. His most remarkable quality, however, is the uncanny, bottomless potential he is gifted with. Many powerful characters such as Hisoka, Wing, Biscuit and Razor were left astounded when they grasped the full extent of Gon's talent, which is often described as being limitless. This allows him to learn extremely quickly, and that is true especially in the field of Nen, with an aptitude like his being very rare. Even prior to learning it he managed to use Zetsu on one occasion.

Together with his potential, it is his strength of mind that continuously leaves more experienced and skilled fighters dumbstruck. As an Enhancer, he should be fairly balanced between offense and defense, but he prefers to go on the offensive, as his stubbornness tends to come out during combat. Because of it, he sometimes charges in recklessly, but at the same time doesn't give up until he can't move anymore. He is quite proficient in close combat after being trained in the basics of Shingen-Ryu Kung-fu by Biscuit Krueger, as well as through natural experience. Although this quality often goes unnoticed, Gon can focus intensely even in the worst circumstances. At the start of the series, he was much weaker than Killua; however, as the two trained, he slowly reduced the gap between their power, to the point that a few characters put the two of them on the same level during the Chimera Ants saga.

Less notable abilities include sleeping with a larger part of his brain awake than normal, thanks to Biscuit's training, and holding his breath for some minutes even if fatigued.

**Enhanced Senses:** Gon possesses very acute senses especially smell, sight and hearing. His sense of smell is particularly advanced, which caused him to be compared to a dog, even though it is actually superior, by his own admission. Another distinctive animal trait is his evolved instinct.

**Enhanced Strength:** Gon has great strength as he, Kurapika, and Leorio cooperate could open the first door of the testing gate which was 2 tons in weight before learning Nen. He can also shatter rock and incapacitate skilled warriors by sending them flying with just a push of his hand. It is unknown how much he can press after learning Nen. However, as his aura spiked he managed to defeat Nobunaga in arm wrestling. He was also capable of punching a Chimera Ant several miles in the direction of another country.

**Enhanced Speed and Reflexes:** Gon has shown to possess great speed on par with Killua's (when not using Nen) and his reflexes are so fast he can react to the slightest amount of danger swiftly. With his speed and agility he can create multiple afterimages of himself.

**Enhanced Agility:** Gon is agile, as he can attack from almost all position. His swiftness is mainly employed to dodge the enemy's attacks and react immediately after being hit.

**Enhanced Stamina:** Gon is indefatigable. He can withstand wearing battles, training sessions and runs.

**Adequate Durability:** Primarily due to his being an Enhancer, Gon has a sturdier body than normal: an instance of it is given when Meleoron commented on how Hollow's feathers dealt him no damage at all.

**Enhanced Tolerance to Pain:** Gon has shown to be somewhat impervious to pain. This is mostly due to his obstinacy and determination more than to a physical predisposition. He could take having his arms being blown off by the Bomber and severed by Neferpitou, continuing to fight and winning nonetheless.

**Enhanced Adaptability:** He talked and laughed on top of the World Tree for many hours without looking troubled by the low oxygen level or temperature.

**Healing Factor:** Gon heals extremely quickly. It is not only thanks to his being an Enhancer, since there have been instances of it happening even before he learned Nen, such as when Hanzo broke his arm. Injuries that should take months to recover from disappear in a matter of weeks. This is true for poisons and toxins as well, as seen when Geretta paralyzed him during the Hunter Exam: according to him, Gon should have been unable to move for ten days, whereas Hisoka believed that four would suffice; however, Gon stood back up soon after the poison had ef fect.

**Enhanced Perception:** Gon managed to detect Meleoron's presence in spite of the latter specializing in erasing it.

**Excellent Strategist:** Gon can often tell what an opponent is thinking and how he will react at his moves. He can plan whole battles beforehand and prepare strategies right after the get-go and create alternative solutions. Incredible instinct and phenomenal intuitions help him. He is particularly skilled at identifying himself with the foe to predict his moves and counter them.

**Proficient Hand to Hand Combatant:** Although he lacks both experience and technique, Gon has shown some skill in close quarter combat, as shown in his fights against Hisoka. He seems to be naturally talented, as he never trained in it, but learned from various clashes. His fighting style is unrefined but very versatile. He mainly resorts to his fists to strike, but can deliver powerful kicks as well.

**Skilled Fisherman:** At the start of the series, Gon managed to catch the Swamp King, a fish that nobody had been able to hook for years.

**Zoological Knowledge:** Gon knows a lot about animals (and plants, to a much inferior extent), partly due to his living on Whale Island. This turned out to be particularly useful when fighting against Chimera Ants.

**Expert in Tailing:** He managed to follow Hisoka for several days without being detected. Furthermore, he tailed Nobunaga and Machi around Yorknew with the two of them failing to spot him (although they clearly sensed his presence).

## Trivia

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