Jason Edwards sees a lot of himself in Gon Freecss.
Yes, that’s right: Providence’s new star guard, who was named to the Preseason All-Big East Second Team, relates to the main character of the popular anime series Hunter x Hunter. “He cares so much,” Edwards tells Hoops HQ. “He’s a really selfless person. He cares about those around him, but sometimes he gets in his own head. He rages out. He’s over-passionate. Sometimes he loses control of his emotions, but once he learned how to control that, then he became unstoppable.”
Like Gon, Edwards has become increasingly unstoppable in his own world. Last season, the 6-foot-1 bucket-getter averaged a team-high 17 points per game, helping Vanderbilt earn its first NCAA Tournament bid in almost a decade. Competing in arguably the greatest conference in college basketball history, Edwards earned All-SEC honors and scored at least 20 points in seven of 18 league outings. He was highly sought-after in the transfer portal this offseason, ultimately committing to the Friars in early April. Coach Kim English said that the program “fell in love with the spirit and passion” with which Edwards plays.
As offbeat as it sounds, some of Edwards’ success can be attributed to his love of anime. He often finds himself connecting to — and learning from — the characters he observes. “The storylines and the character development in anime is unparalleled,” he says. “When you watch an anime from start to finish, you really feel like you get to know someone.” In Hunter x Hunter, Gon embarks on an epic journey to become a Hunter, an exceptional being of elite skill. Along the way, he befriends other aspiring Hunters and must overcome numerous obstacles. Gon’s growth throughout the show taught Edwards a great deal about himself and how to best manage his passion and drive.
Edwards was skeptical at first when a friend suggested that he start watching anime. Then in high school and a blossoming basketball star, Edwards thought of the art form as nerdy. But after giving the legendary series Attack on Titan a chance, he was immediately hooked.
Over the past few years, his interest has blossomed into an obsession. Edwards, now a senior, watches anime every day. He is an expert on the subject, having devoured all of the prominent titles. Attack on Titan remains, in his eyes, the greatest anime series ever. Other shows at the top of his list include Hunter x Hunter, Death Note and Naruto. He has seen the entirety of the Naruto series (the original and its successor, Naruto: Shippuden), which consists of more than 700 episodes. Two underrated shows he recommends are High-Rise Invasion and Kakegurui. He has been trying to convince his Providence teammates to dive more into anime. (At Vanderbilt, several players shared his fascination.)
Watching anime is Edwards’ way of decompressing and briefly escaping basketball. “I think having a hobby and something you love to do outside of your sport proves to be beneficial for you in your sport,” he says. “Truthfully, I think of basketball 24/7. So having a mindfulness activity like watching anime allows me to put my mind at ease and kind of reset.”
Once a big gamer, Edwards gave up that hobby because it became too much of a distraction (it took significant time and effort for him to level up). Anime has fully replaced NBA 2K as his primary off-court interest. Whenever he has free time, he catches up on the latest release. Right now, he is looking forward to seeing the new Demon Slayer movie.
Every title teaches him something different, from how to handle adversity to the importance of teamwork. Edwards references the story of Sasuke in Naruto as an example. When Sasuke’s clan gets wiped out by his older brother, Itachi, Sasuke is so enraged and full of hate that he is completely out of control. But once he calms down and learns “to harness how he feels,” as Edwards explains, “that’s when he has the Susanoo and unlocks new jutsus — and that’s when he was unstoppable.”
The main lesson Edwards has learned from anime is to never quit. “You see that in a lot of the shows,” he says. “The protagonist hits rock bottom, but they keep going. You have to be relentless.” Many of those same shows stress that “strength is in numbers,” and that achieving one’s goals alone is impossible.
Those lessons will surely come in handy as Edwards looks to help the Friars rebound from a disappointing 2024-25 campaign in which they went 12-20 (6-14 in the Big East). English rebuilt his roster over the summer, signing five transfers, four of whom are in the starting lineup. With a new backcourt of Edwards and 6-foot-5 senior guard Jaylin Sellers, a talented transfer from UCF, Providence is expected to make a major leap. The program was picked to finish fourth in the conference in the annual preseason coaches’ poll, behind AP top-25 teams St. John’s, UConn and Creighton.
Whether the Friars live up to — or exceed — those expectations will depend largely on how Edwards performs. He led them in scoring in both of their preseason exhibition games (a loss to Pittsburgh and a win over Harvard). Through the years, the veteran has evolved tremendously in the pursuit of his full potential, just like many of his favorite anime characters. He went from a JUCO (Dodge City Community College) to a mid-major (North Texas) to the high-major level. As he enters his final season, Edwards is arriving at the peak of his powers.
After a long and arduous journey, he has become a Hunter.
