Yoshihiro Togashi, known for series like Yu Yu Hakusho and Hunter x Hunter, took to Twitter yesterday to announce new chapters for the latter. The news came as such a shock to fans of Togashi’s work that, initially, no one believed the tweet was real. A Google translation of the tweet reads, “4 more episodes for the time being.”
とりあえずあと4話。 pic.twitter.com/OwoB4ljp1x
— 冨樫義博 (@Un4v5s8bgsVk9Xp) May 24, 2022
This was Togashi’s very first tweet as he just joined the platform. One Punch Man creator Yusuke Murata retweeted the announcement to confirm its authenticity. A Google translation of the tweet reads, “It was with the person himself.”
ご本人とのことでした。 https://t.co/JEKGyfJelq
— 村田雄介 (@NEBU_KURO) May 24, 2022
This definitely was on NO one’s Bingo card for 2022!
Why is this a big deal?
To say that Yoshihiro Togashi’s work has been influential for anime and manga is an understatement. That’s not just for fans like me, but working professionals in the industry. Masashi Kishimoto, for example, has gone on record saying that his work was inspired by Togashi: “Back when I’ve started the serialization of Naruto, my inspiration for these kind of facial expressions was Hunter x Hunter, even to this day it still has a special place for me and I often re-read it.” Kishimoto also credits Yu Yu Hakusho’s Hiei as inspiration for creating “cool” characters.
I, personally, was first introduced to Togashi via Yu Yu Hakusho—a series I still love today. Later, I would learn that Togashi was married to one of my favorite creators, Naoko Takeuchi, the creator of Sailor Moon. And while I did miss out on Hunter “EX” Hunter (or Hunter Hunter, OR Hunter “BY” Hunter—debate in the comments) during its initial run, I understand its importance in anime and manga and have enjoyed what I’ve seen of it so far.
However you, unfortunately, can’t talk about Togashi without talking about the tragic reason as to why Hunter x Hunter has been on hiatus for so long, its last chapter being released back in 2018.
What caused the hiatus?
It’s no secret that manga creators do an astronomical amount of work, so much so that it often affects their health. Extremely tight deadlines and producing content on a constant basis (My Hero Academia, for example, is updated weekly) have been known to cause health issues for creatives. Such is the case for Togashi, who has been suffering from issues so severe that he’s often been bedridden and unable to work.
Togashi’s author comments are the realest thing you’ll ever read in Shonen Jump pic.twitter.com/qCe4KAJ4Ii
— Joey 🐉🏎 Weiser (@joeyweiser) May 18, 2016
According to Kotaku, Togashi has expressed a desire to finish Hunter x Hunter or “die trying.” The quote, which comes from a translated interview from Redditor VeraciousCake, continues with the following:
“Still, that aside, I need to finish writing Hunter x Hunter. It has come to a point where either the story concludes first, or I die before that happens (lol). But I do intend to finish it. Although you can say that at one point in the story – where Gon meets Ging – I have completed the story once. I believe that some readers must have thought ‘Wasn’t that supposed to be the endgame?’ and I did write it to seem that way. Still, I did not intend to cut off the flow of the story there, and I hope my readers could see that there was still room for continuation.
As a reader of Jump myself, I also remember having thought ‘Shouldn’t this manga have just ended here?’ and feeling pissed when it went on and on. I want to always be in touch with that feeling as a reader. But Hunter x Hunter as it is now has a lot in it that makes me want to keep on reading, even from my own perspective as a reader. And from my perspective as a writer, there are still many things in it left that I want to write, that I would enjoy writing. And so if anyone would be willing to enjoy this ride with me, that is all I can hope for.”
Maybe it’s because I follow all the right people, but I’ve mostly been seeing fans excited for him to work again while also telling him to put his health and wellbeing first. When I hear fans talk about Hunter x Hunter, it comes with an understanding that the series creator has health issues and, therefore, needed to take a long, overdue break. So yes, this continuation is amazing news, but please, Togashi, don’t “die trying” to finish this story.
(featured image: Yoshihiro Togashi)
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