The Hunter X Hunter universe may have introduced itself as a (mostly) lighthearted adventure series, though the further it progressed, the darker it became. Gon and the friends he made along the way swiftly found themselves in increasingly dire straits.
Like many other anime, a handful of characters survived exclusively through the miracle of plot armor — even if they weren't particularly relevant to the story by the time they should have died. Through assessing which characters realistically should have perished (but didn't), we can appreciate the most fortunate in the anime's world.
10 Knov
Knov was the right hand man of Isaac Netero and a skilled hunter of the association. He was able to create portals to anywhere through his Nen ability, granting him considerable versatility when fighting against the burgeoning threats of the NGL.
However, he was so terrified of Neferpitou once he had seen them that he aged rapidly just through feeling their presence. Since he volunteered to help his allies again after he had regained his nerve, it follows that the effects already impacting him should have exacerbated and killed the man outright.
9 Light Nostrade
Light was the father of Neon Nostrade and a member of the Yorknew crime families. With his influence and connections, he was able to hire bodyguards to protect his daughter and made it significantly more difficult for Chrollo to reach her (forcing him to don a disguise instead).
Considering how weak Light himself is (and how swiftly most bodyguards except Kurapika died from the wrath of the Phantom Troupe), it follows that Lucifer might make him a primary target in order to disorganize his foes. Miraculously, he would avoid the Spider's machinations, surviving the arc and persisting into the foreseeable future.
8 Chrollo
Despite Chrollo's ability to steal the Nen of others, Kurapika was able to sedate and ensnare him through his Nen chains. Since the blond man was introduced, he had made it his goal to enact vengeance for what the Phantom Troupe had done and was given the perfect opportunity to take it.
Instead of doing so, he was convinced otherwise through the pleading of Killua and Gon, depriving a satisfying conclusion to Lucifer's life and allowing the Phantom Troupe to scour the globe for someone who can heal him. Kurapika's irresponsibility is inconsistent with his characters and would lead to consequences later in the story.
7 Morel
Morel was the other escort of Isaac Netero during his foray into the NGL. Significantly more competent and tenacious than Knov, his "Deep Purple" was able to distract and defeat among the most skilled chimera ants in Meruem's employ.
Peculiarly, he was one of the few hunters to have survived (and arguably won) a direct encounter with a royal guard by himself. His success against Shaiapouf was exceptionally strange since he was already exhausted by the time he entered the battle. Though the butterfly may have been the weakest of the King's elite, he should have been able to capitalize on the hunter's fatigue and slay him.
6 Ikalgo
Ikalgo was one of the few Chimera Ants to have been in the service of the hunters. His Nen ability was situationally useful, able to infiltrate the corpses of his opponents and effectively puppeteer them from the inside.
In spite of this (sometimes) viable skill, he was forced to fight Welfin in a direct confrontation, whose "Missileman" was actively ripping through his skull and gnawing at his brain. This should have debilitated him too severely to continue their battle.
5 Genthru
Genthru was the monstrous and depraved main antagonist to the Greed Island arc. He had a penchant for intimidating others into giving him their cards, only to immediately kill them after they had. The Bomber had attempted similar treachery with Gon, promising to blow off his limbs one by one after he had damaged his throat.
Inexplicably, Gon would not only spare his life, he would have him healed first. Moreover, the Bomber would face no tangible justice for the lives he had taken or the many atrocities he had committed in the name of his own avarice.
4 Riehlvelt
Riehlvelt was an opponent that Gon was destined to face during his ascension of the Heaven's Arena. Though his crippled form may suggest weakness, he was deceptively more competent than he appeared (especially since Freecss had not faced many Nen users up until that time).
Because of his ruthlessness and experience, Hisoka reasonably should have perceived him as a threat and killed him before he could significantly harm his prize. If Riehlvelt were to permanently injure the young hunter before his battle with Morow (as he was interested in doing), he never would have had the satisfying fight he had been waiting for.
3 Leorio
Despite his earnestness, Leorio should have died well before he had a chance to establish himself. During his most fateful encounter against Hisoka, he was defeated almost immediately through a single punch.
Since the depraved clown had murdered almost everyone else in the area (and on account of Leorio's complete inability to use Nen), there was no realistic reason that Morow had let him live. Conversely, slaying him would have given Gon a stronger motivation to fight him later on (as proven through the hunter's obsession with avenging Kite).
2 Melody
Melody was another of Light's bodyguards and a friend to Kurapika. Instead of having any Nen abilities even remotely viable for combat, she was adept and soothing her targets (like her name might suggest).
This not only makes her grossly unequipped to fight the Phantom Troupe members (who had struck down Nostrade's other servants almost effortlessly), it also renders her an unlikely utility to the criminal underworlds she is destined to operate within. Friendship with Kurapika may have increased her odds of survival, but it should not have guaranteed it.
1 Gon Freecss
In order to defeat Neferpitou and avenge Kite, Gon was willing to deign to any means. Since he needed to bridge the gap between their power levels (on account of the royal guard's natural advantages over him), he created a Nen ability that would channel all of the strength he would ever have to bring his infernal opponent down.
Considering the nature of the condition he put on his power (and the enormous toll it inflicted against his body), this should have killed him immediately after the fight was over. It would take a (literal) miracle from Killua to see his friend restored, though realistically, he never should have had the chance.
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