Yoshihiro Togashi, the renowned mangaka behind the two popular manga, Hunter x Hunter and Yu Yu Hakusho, hit his 58th birthday on April 27, 2024, bringing him closer to his advancing age. Togashi has dedicated over half of his life to creating manga, and because of this, he is now suffering from chronic back pain and several other health issues.

Togashi’s career as a mangaka was going smoothly until his health began to decline each year. He started Hunter x Hunter on June 4, 1998, and it ran well until 2006. However, after that, the manga went on frequent breaks, including a long hiatus from November 2018 to October 2022. Because of this, Hunter x Hunter only has 400 chapters even though it was under serialization for 26 years.

Togashi-Sensei Hunter x Hunter
Gon, Leorio, Killua, and Kurapika from Hunter x Hunter (Credits: Madhouse)

One Piece, which started just six months before Hunter x Hunter in Weekly Shonen Jump, has now published over 1100 chapters. As a result, many fans are unhappy with Togashi’s slower pace. These fans might not fully understand the challenges Togashi faces and are mainly focused on when the next chapter will be released. Some of these fans even left comments on a tweet celebrating Togashi’s birthday.

Celebrating Yoshihiro Togashi’s 58th Birthday

"They will all die": Yoshihiro Togashi May Have Already Sealed Phantom Troupe's Grim Fate in Hunter x Hunter 14 Years Ago
Yoshihiro Togashi, the mangaka of Hunter x Hunter

Instead of congratulating and thanking Yoshihiro Togashi on his birthday for creating two masterpieces, some fans prefer to complain. These fans may not understand the challenges Togashi is facing. This isn’t just specific to Hunter x Hunter but applies to other manga creators as well.

Also Read: “I also need to think about wrapping up Hunter x Hunter once and for all”: Yoshihiro Togashi on His Infamous Shonen Jump Absences

In many of Togashi’s interviews, Togashi has said that he wants to get back to drawing manga as soon as possible but his body isn’t letting him do so. He is trying his best to satisfy his readers with great work and not just filling the pages. He doesn’t want to rush things only to complete the manga.

“My series is so long (Dark Continent Expedition arc), but I can’t bring myself to quit part way through. I know probably sounds self-contradictory, but by setting that dilemma aside, I set a personal standard based on the number of comics published. If the actual number falls below my standards, I feel like the readers’ are telling me there’s no point in keeping it going. But if the number exceeds that standard, it shows me that the readers think it’s just as interesting as I do, so I want to keep it running.”

Hunter x Hunter Fan’s Harsh Reaction to Yoshihiro Togashi’s Birthday Tweet

Hunter x Hunter
Gon and Killua from hunter-x-hunter (Credits: Madhouse)

Yoshihiro Togashi also talked about the decision to hire an illustrator to complete the work from him, like the other big mangakas do these days. However, Togashi isn’t sure if his fans will like it if lets someone else do the drawing for him. 

“But I felt there were two types of readers – the ones who wouldn’t mind if someone else illustrated my stories and the ones who want to read a manga that I’ve written and illustrated. I’m still not sure how to balance that issue to please most people. For some genres, I feel like it’s fine to leave the illustrations to someone else.”

Also Read: “They will all die”: Yoshihiro Togashi May Have Already Sealed Phantom Troupe’s Grim Fate in Hunter x Hunter 14 Years Ago

After an account on X (formerly Twitter) posted a tweet to wish Togashi his 58th Birthday, some fans started posting harsh comments on it, even going as far as calling him the laziest mangaka. The majority of comments are filled with people requesting him to get back to work.

While it’s sad that Togashi isn’t able to deliver Hunter x Hunter chapters on a normal basis, people need to understand his condition and what he is going through. Passing hateful comments won’t do them any good. Instead, we should pray for his speedy recovery.

You can read Hunter x Hunter manga on Viz and Mangaplus.

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