Summary
- Yoshihiro Togashi’s chronic pain causes frequent Hunter x Hunter hiatuses, often due to worsening health conditions.
- Togashi recently had surgery, was bedridden, and has posture restrictions, slowing down his work progress.
- Despite his ongoing pain, some fans make insensitive jokes, but Togashi continues to work on the manga.
Hunter x Hunter fans have known for a while that creator Yoshihiro Togashi suffers with major chronic pain that debilitates him, making it hard for him to keep writing manga (or even doing basic things, like walking). That’s the main reason Hunter x Hunter usually goes through long hiatus periods before dropping new chapters.
When the manga started serialization in 1998, it would follow the regular weekly schedule of most Weekly Shonen Jump titles. However, in the 2010s, the series started going through long hiatus periods as Togashi’s health condition worsened. Currently, Hunter x Hunter has an irregular schedule, and it will probably be this way until the end.
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Recently, Togashi revealed he went through surgery with local anesthesia. He didn’t say why he had to have surgery, though. Now, he’s just revealed that he was bedridden for a few days and that he has posture restrictions. He also showed a few photos of his recent work.
Here’s a post from December 11, 2024:
もう1話分ネーム完成。
訳あって数日寝たきりでした。
今はヨチヨチですが家の中を
歩けるくらい回復して自力で
仕事用スマホ回収出来ました。
人に頼むの苦手なんですよねー
pic.twitter.com/To0jgOL6hE— 冨樫義博 (@Un4v5s8bgsVk9Xp)
December 11, 2024
Translation:
I drew one more chapter.
For some reason, I spent a few days bedridden.
When I was finally able to walk again,
I could take some photos of my work
I’m focused on writing new chapters.
In a more recent post, he added he’s anxious to sit on chairs:
ネーム、もう1話分完成。
姿勢に制限ありすぎて
進みが悪い。まだ椅子に
座るの不安なのであと少し
ネームに集中します。
pic.twitter.com/nKKfzS1Zhc— 冨樫義博 (@Un4v5s8bgsVk9Xp)
December 12, 2024
Translation:
I drew one more chapter.
I have posture restrictions, so
It’s hard to keep going forward. I’m still a bit anxious
To sit on a chair
So I’ll keep focusing on chapters.
Translations try to preserve the writing style, including the original line breaks. But sudden line breaks might look stranger in English than they are to Japanese people.
A few weeks ago, he had stated his health was improving little by little and that he was finally able to sit on a chair, but it seems his condition might have worsened a bit since then.
Togashi’s Chronic Back Pain
Togashi has been honest and somewhat vocal about chronic back pain. Years ago, he shared his experience on Shonen Jump‘s authors’ comment section, revealing he sometimes is not even able to call for help since the pain is so hard he can’t move. He also stated that he doesn’t write chapters sitting on a chair anymore, since that is painful. He does it in a more comfortable position. This year, other events also made him refrain from using social media and probably affected his routine.
Unfortunately, despite the author making it clear how much pain he regularly goes through, not everyone understands how bad his health is, and “jokes” about Togashi prioritizing playing Dragon Quest over writing manga keep coming. He has even shared an alternative ending to Hunter x Hunter if he is not able to finish it.
Hunter x Hunter New Hiatus
New Hunter x Hunter chapters were published this year, but the series is once again on hiatus. As usual, the series ran for a few weeks before being put once again on hold. For now, no one knows when the manga will return, but since Togashi seems to be working on it, maybe next year we will get more chapters. Usually, Shueisha schedules a new volume when the series is about to return, so fans should keep an eye on any information about the 39th volume.
Source: Japan Anime News by Oricon