“I also need to think about wrapping up Hunter x Hunter once and for all”: Yoshihiro Togashi on His Infamous Shonen Jump Absences
Yoshihiro Togashi, the mangaka behind Hunter x Hunter, has faced the worst challenges due to chronic health issues, particularly severe back pain. This health issue has led to several hiatuses during the serialization of Hunter x Hunter. His irregular release schedule has frustrated many fans but some are also concerned about Togashi’s health.
Despite having the option to hire a manga illustrator, like many other mangakas such as Masashi Kishimoto (creator of Naruto) and Akira Toriyama (creator of Dragon Ball), Yoshihiro Togashi prefers to handle the drawing himself. He likes to draw by himself and wants to finish it without any involvement of others.
Hunter x Hunter manga began serialization on June 4, 1998, and despite its long run, only 400 chapters have been completed due to Togashi’s health breaks. Togashi expressed his desire to wrap up the series out of concern for his fans, discussing this in an old interview.
Yoshihiro Togash Speaks About His Absence in Weekly Shonen Jump Lineup
In an interview, that was conducted in November 2017, Yoshihiro Togashi discussed his absence in Weekly Shonen Jump. According to him, he also doesn’t know why Shueisha is letting him stay in the Weekly Shonen Jump lineup, because the mangaka who are unable to meet deadlines are immediately removed.
Togashi even jokes about his life by saying that he doesn’t know who will end first, him or the manga! And because of those concerns, he is thinking to wrap the story up fairly quickly. However, he will only conclude the manga if he feels satisfied with the ending.
“I also need to think about wrapping up Hunter x Hunter once and for all. There have been a lot of times when it stops showing up on the pages of Shonen Jump, and I’m sure people are wondering what T’m doing. But just as a comedian doesn’t show up on TV for a while sometimes, he’s still working somewhere else, and I’m working every day. Sometimes I’m not sure which will expire first, the series or me (laughs).
I feel like I want to end it the right way. But in a way you can say it has ended once, at the moment that Gon met Ging. I think some readers thought it ended with that scene, and I write it that way on purpose. Generally, I want people to think that there’s still some room to continue on. When reading Shonen Jump, sometimes I’ve thought, ‘This series should end right at this point.'”
“And I’ve gotten mad when they decide to keep it going. As a reader, I don’t want to lose that kind of feeling. But right now with Hunter x Hunter, I feel like I still want to see it continue on from a reader’s perspective. And as the artist, I still enjoy doing the story and illustrations. So I ask for those who choose to keep following me on this journey for their continued support.”
In this interview, we can clearly see Togashi’s desire to finish Hunter X Hunter before his time runs out. Because of health concerns, Togashi has even prepared four potential endings for the manga, which could serve as the final conclusion if he passes away before completing it.
You can read Hunter x Hunter manga on Viz and Manga Plus Platforms.
