Hunter X Hunter has been known for its multiple hiatuses ever since its release. Although the wait is long, the plot of the Manga has always made fans go berserk over each announcement of new chapters.
The last Hunter x Hunter hiatus was over 1200 days. The last chapter of the series was published in 2018 and since then there was no news from Yoshiro Togashi, Until May 24, 2022, when he announced 4 new chapters of the Manga.
Many fans were overjoyed and retweeted his tweet to show their excitement for the Comeback of Gon and his mates for an adventure-filled read! In this blog, I will give you an overview of how many years HxH has been on hiatus so far.
So, keep reading!
What is Hunter x Hunter?
Yoshihiro Togashi is the wrter and artist of the Japanese manga series Hunter.
From March 1998, it has been serialized in Shueisha’s shnen manga magazine Weekly Shnen Jump, though the manga has frequently gone on extended hiatuses since 2006. As of November 2022, its chapters had been collected in 37 tankbon volumes. The plot rotates around a young boy named Gon Freecss, who discovers that his father, who abandoned him when he was young.
Gon is a world-renowned Hunter, a licensed professional who specializes in fantastical pursuits such as locating rare or unidentified animal species, treasure hunting, surveying unexplored enclaves, or hunting down lawless individuals. Gon sets out on a journey to become a Hunter and, ultimately, locate his father.
How excellent is the anime Hunter x Hunter?
Hunter x Hunter is a fantastic anime. If you enjoy anime such as Naruto or Fairy Tail, you will enjoy Hunter x Hunter.
Hunter x Hunter characters are charming and nicely crafted. It lacks the insane power creep found in most shonen anime. The fact that the primary protagonists, Gon and Killua, are not the most important or powerful individuals in the world adds to the joy and excitement of their escapades.
Every battle in Hunter X Hunter is an intellectual one. Every conflict necessitates preparation and strategy. The fight is more about how much a character can think on the go than it is about how strong he was before entering the ring.
It’s rare that Gon or Killua lose a fight due to a lack of raw strength, and they are advised to return when they’re stronger. Situations like that do occur, and the main characters do encounter hurdles, but only to train them in a specific or new way or to teach them a type of Nen they had not previously learnt.
When did the HxH hiatus start?
Hunter x Hunter first appeared in the Shonen Jump magazine at the end of March 1998. This series is now being serialized but is still on hold for various reasons.
The Manga went on a hiatus for the first time in December of 2006, But now it has become more of a common thing for it to go on breaks for a long time. Togashi’s Hunter x Hunter’s longest run of publications is said to be only 30 issues.
Because of the Manga’s popularity, it was adapted into an Anime with approximately 200 episodes spread across two series, as well as a handful of movies and seven video games. The manga has frequently been on long-term hiatus since 2006, and Hunter x Hunter has been on hold since November 2018.
Why is HxH always on hiatus?
Fans have always had very high expectations with HxH—but why does it always get delayed? The major reason is a serious back injury that Togashi the creator of the series faced a few years ago.
Hence keeping up with a jam-packed schedule of a Mangaka with an injury can be quite difficult.
How many years has HxH been on a hiatus?
Chimera Ant Arc: 84-Week Hiatus
Until 2006, Yoshiro Togashi had been publishing his Mangas in Shonen Jump on a semi-regular basis.
But 2006 brought some changes to his schedule— his 84-week break from 2006 to 2007 got fans speculating whether he was working on the plot of the arc which was incomplete, or just wanted to take more time to improve his art on this exclusive arc.
The Birth of the Name Hiatus x Hiatus: 9 Weeks
After returning to Shonen Jump in 2007, the Hunter X Hunter Manga had another brief vacation in January 2008. The Hunter X Hunter series began to grow into “Hiatus X Hiatus,” a fan-made nickname, at this point in its publication history.
While this new title is meant to be more of a warm word of endearment, the 9-week hiatus demonstrated that Hunter X Hunter’s 84-week hiatus from Shonen Jump in 2006 and 2007 was not a one-time occurrence.
A Global Recession: 19 Weeks Hiatus
The 19-week hiatus in the middle of 2008, made it clear that Hunter x Hunter will be published at a much slower rate than the fans were expecting it to be.
To be fair to Yoshihiro Togashi and Shonen Jump, 2008 did mark the beginning of a global recession that had a significant impact on the Manga business.
Nonetheless, the Chimera Ant storyline is important for introducing Gon and Killua to the actual scope of the Hunter X Hunter universe. It couldn’t have been helped that this discovery had to be put on hold so frequently.
The 53-Week Hiatus
The series took a full fledge big break of a year in 2009. This year-long break from the Shonen Jump somewhat removed Togashi’s name for a whole year.
Gladly, Yoshiro did publish some chapters in the first two weeks of 2009 which made him memorable among the other authors. That year would have seen no new Hunter x Hunter chapters before they continued their Chimera Ant journey in 2010.
The Conclusion of the Chimera Ant Arc: 59 Weeks Hiatus
In 2011, fans got their much-anticipated conclusion of the chimera ant arc.
The entirety of the 13th Hunter Chairman Election Arc, as well as the start of the Dark Continent Expedition Arc. The release streak towards the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012 was a great delight for fans who had adjusted to the new pace at which Togashi and Shonen Jump were publishing HXH.
Kurapika’s One-Shot: 2012
After 3 years of waiting for the Chimera Ant Arc to conclude and being rewarded with two completely new arcs, it took an extra 35 weeks for a Kurapika one-shot to be published in place of fresh chapters in the Dark Continent Expedition Arc.
The Kurapika one-shot, released in January 2013, gives Hunter X Hunter fans a glimpse into Kurapika’s past before introducing him as the protagonist in the Dark Continent Expedition Arc. Nonetheless, fans were undoubtedly dissatisfied after waiting so long for more Dark Continent information.
More Prolonged Delay In The Dark Continent Expedition Arc: 75 Weeks
Not breaking the Hiatus x Hiatus tradition, right after Kurapika’s one-shot was published in the Shonen Jump, the series again hit the fans with another long hiatus. Which was a 75-week-long Hiatus making fans anticipate more than ever for the Dark continent expedition arc.
After fans were introduced to the new arc in 2011, Expedition Arc was forced to wait 110 weeks for additional Dark Continent lore.
The Second Longest Break: 85 Weeks
This break took longer than ever. This hiatus period was the longest ever since the series’s break in 2006. The Dark continent arc came to its long-awaited conclusion halfway through 2014.
Unlike other breaks, this hiatus took more than the entirety of the calendar. Hunter x Hunter did not get published in Shonen Jump for the whole of 2015. Fans made their own theories of how the dark continent expedition arc will finish until the series got back on track in 2016 to fill the void.
The 49-Week hiatus
Another extended sabbatical smack in the middle of a new arc was nothing new by the time Hunter X Hunter fans were slammed with the end-of-year hiatus in 2016.
At this point, fans had come to accept the break and had even begun casually flooding the internet with light jokes about their beloved Anime. Fortunately, the Succession Contest Arc is chock-full of chapters that provide viewers with solutions to world-building questions they’ve had since the Chimera Ant Arc.
The Long-Awaited Legendary Battle: 19-Week Hiatus
The gap between the release of Succession Arc content and HxH’s next arc—the one that follows the one leading up to the Colosseum is particularly long, lasting 19 weeks.
During this time, fans have been deprived of Kurapika content while they follow Chrollo and Hisoka’s legendary battle. Togashi returns to write a brief chapter in Heaven’s Arena before taking another break after cutting to Nen’s life-saving skills.
Interruption in the Succession Contest Arc: 23 Weeks
Yoshihiro Togashi brought fans back to HxH with fresh chapters at the end of 2018.
The Succession Contest Arc is designed to keep viewers entertained with fantastic Nen battles until the large Dark Continent Expedition crew arrives at their target.
2019—Present: The Longest Hiatus in HxH History
Fans of Hunter X Hunter are still waiting for Yoshihiro Togashi to return with illustrated panels of Kurapika playing detective while the affluent princes of Kakin vie for their right to the throne.
| Start year/Volume | End year/Volume | Chapters |
| 1998/14 | 1998/26 | 1 – 12 |
| 1998/28 | 1998/40 | 13 – 24 |
| 1999/15 | 1999/26 | 41 – 51 |
| 1999/42 | 2000/8 | 57 – 73 |
| 000/10 | 2000/24 | 74 – 87 |
| 2000/33 | 2000/43 | 89 – 98 |
| 2002/48 | 2003/10 | 160 – 172 |
| 2007/45 | 2008/2 | 261 – 270 |
| 2008/14 | 2008/24 | 271 – 280 |
| 2008/45 | 2009/2 | 281 – 290 |
| 2010/5 | 2010/26 | 291 – 310 |
| 2011/35 | 2012/16 | 311 – 340 |
| 2016/20 | 2016/31 | 350 – 360 |
| 2017/30 | 2017/40 | 361 – 370 |
| 2018/9 | 2018/18 | 371 – 380 |
| 2018/43 | 2018/52 | 381 – 390 |
Will Togashi ever finish HxH?
The author’s health is the issue with nearly every Manga that goes on break. Creating Manga is a time-consuming process, and adhering to strict deadlines is quite challenging. Togashi has long had back problems as a result of the long hours he spent working and making Manga.
Yoshiro Togashi has stated many times that he intends to complete the Manga no matter how long it takes. Some fans have urged that the author allow someone else to draw the Manga while he provides the directions.
The good news is that the author has not given up on making a comeback, and fans are eagerly anticipating it.
Conclusion
- Togashi has remained tight-lipped about whether or not the end of Hunter x Hunter is near.
- The storyline definitely doesn’t lend weight to the notion that Gon and his pals will reach their inevitable ending any time soon.
- Given the outpouring of support on the internet that Hunter x Hunter would return, it’s evident that the show is still a fan favorite.