Hunter X Hunter is Back! Creator Hints at New Chapters on Twitter

Key Points

• After a nearly 4 year break, Yoshihiro Togashi, the creator of Hunter x Hunter, took to Twitter to hint at the return of the manga series
• Togashi posted a picture on Twitter with the caption “4 more chapters, for now”
• Don’t judge Togashi too quickly as his history of hiatuses have very understandable reasons behind them

After a Long Wait, Hunter x Hunter is Coming Back!

Attention all Hunter x Hunter fans! Big News – wait no more! Yoshihiro Togashi, the creator of the legendary series Hunter x Hunter just hinted that more manga chapters are coming out in the near future, following an almost 4 year-long break from the series. 

Togashi made his hints via Twitter by posting a picture of what looks like the bottom corner of a drawing board along with the caption “4 more chapters, for now.” 

While some fans who had waited so long for the continuation of the series thought this was merely a publicity stunt or fake account, Yusuke Murata, illustrator of the mega-popular action-comedy manga and anime series, One Punch Man, confirmed it really was Togashi’s Twitter account. Murata ReTweeted with the caption, “it is really him,” referring to Togashi.

Togashi didn’t mention anything else at all. There isn’t an actual date or speculated date, for that matter, at the moment. However, the good news is that fans now have a glimpse of what’s coming.

Moreover, Togashi didn’t even have Twitter before creating a profile and posting his “4 more chapters, for now” Tweet on May 24th. Togashi gained over 1 million followers within his first day on Twitter. Now, two days since his first post, he now has 1.9 million followers and is the second most followed manga creator behind My Hero Academia‘s Kohei Horikoshi who has a whopping 2.15 million followers. Togashi is however on track to beating out Horikoshi for the number one most followed manga creator. Togashi’s insanely quick rise to over 1 million followers was the direct result of the overwhelming amount of “hype” generated from his and Hunter x Hunter‘s return from the 4 year-long break.

Hunter x Hunter Has a History of Hiatus

The bad news is that Togashi does have a history of taking breaks. Of course, it isn’t fair to blame just the man himself as there are likely numerous reasons and parties involved that could cause installments of an insanely popular manga and anime series to be delayed. 

Following Hunter x Hunter’s initial manga release way back in 1998, installments in the series were consistently released in the Weekly Shonen Jump, one of the world’s most popular manga magazines. Beginning in 2006, Hunter x Hunter has become somewhat infamous for its hiatuses. 

The most recent hiatus has been the longest, with over 161 issues of Shonen Jump missing a chapter of Hunter x Hunter. The breaks in 2006, and 2014 were also significant with 79, and 80 issues missing installments. In general, ever since 2006, the series has gone under a hiatus almost once every year or two. 

Don’t Be Too Critical of Hunter X Hunter‘s Long Breaks

Some people might be quick to claim that Togashi is lazy or was suffering from writer’s block, but the real reasons for Togashi’s long intervals between volumes are more understandable. As a mangaka, a manga author, and illustrator, Togashi, and others in his industry work ridiculous hours. 

Unfortunately, killer hours is something that is widely accepted in the manga world as the norm. In fact, many Japanese people, from one of the world’s hardest-working countries, actually claim they’d never want to be a mangaka despite loving to write and draw. Most mangaka average 16-hour days. For Togashi, and likely many others, this lifestyle resulted in him suffering from severe back pain and other health issues. 

Togashi actually underwent back surgery a couple of years ago, causing him to take a long, and well-deserved break from work. Its speculated that his chronic back issues are the culprit in all of his hiatuses since 2006. 

Hiatuses are Common in the World of Manga

Something to keep in mind however is that Togashi isn’t alone. Going on a hiatus is actually quite common in the mangaka world. In fact, one of the most famous mangaka ever, Hideki Anno, creator of Neon Genesis Evangelion famously fell in and out of multiple states of depression throughout his time working on the series. Anno himself has stated that his own personal difficulties can be seen through his work and act as his own sort of “self-therapy.”

Regardless, Hunter x Hunter fans all over the world should be excited about the good news. Hopefully, in the very near future, we’ll be able to read about the hunters getting back to their usual business of rounding up monsters and bad guys. 

More Stories from Japan Insider

• New Instant Ramen Snack So Successful It Had to be Suspended
• Inside The Most Expensive Luxury Hotel Room in Tokyo with a Private Pool
• Inside the Otaku World of Itasha: Anime Cars in Japan
• Germophobic Japan Now Re-thinking the Need to Mask up
• Japanese Man Recreates The Last Supper out of McDonald’s Wrappers