Yoshihiro Togashi took to his official X account on Sep 3, 2024, to reveal that his back pain had worsened while completing the new Hunter x Hunter color manuscript.
Despite this the author successfully handed the finished work to his editor.
He expressed gratitude to his fans for their encouragement but admitted that his health had declined during the process.
“Thanks to everyone, I was able to deliver the color manuscript to the editor.
I received warm encouragement, words of concern, and felt your support. Thank you very much.
However, my back pain has definitely worsened.”
This update follows a post Togashi made just a day prior, on Sep 2, 2024, where he compared his fragile back to a Jenga game on the verge of collapsing.
“Feeling like the bones around my spine are a Jenga game about to topple, I’ve restarted coloring. Will I finish the coloring first, or will my back give out? Look forward to my post tomorrow. (Back pain high).”
Earlier on Aug 31, 2024, the mangaka had reported significant improvement after receiving treatment. He explained that his back pain was due to his posture while working on color illustrations.
He noted that his posture while creating color illustrations was different from when he worked on black and white manuscripts.
This discrepancy in posture contributed to his back pain, which he admitted he hadn’t realized until it was pointed out to him.
Hunter x Hunter manga will be returning to the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump in this year’s 45th issue, set for release on Oct 7, 2024.
This marks the first new chapter in nearly two years since the manga went on a hiatus following the release of chapter 400 in December 2022.
Following the release of chapter 400, Shueisha released a statement, announcing a significant shift in the manga’s pacing, with the editorial department revealing that the series will no longer adhere to a strict weekly serialization format. This decision was made to accommodate Togashi’s health.
The manga will be serialized in a non-weekly format going forward.
Togashi had previously had revealed the ending of Hunter x Hunter to the guests of TV Asahi’s popular variety show Iwakura and Yoshizumi in case he passed away before the completion of the manga.
The author revealed three planned endings to the HxH manga – A, B, and C, all of which will have different levels of satisfaction from the fans.
Hunter x Hunter has been serialized in Shueisha’s shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump since March 1998, although the manga has frequently gone on extended hiatuses since 2006.
It was adapted into a 62-episode anime television series produced by Nippon Animation and directed by Kazuhiro Furuhashi, which ran on Fuji Television from October 1999 to March 2001. Three separate original video animations (OVAs) totaling 30 episodes were subsequently produced by Nippon Animation and released in Japan from 2002 to 2004.